As part of our patient safety activities, Alcla implements different actions aimed at identifying and preventing failures or errors in health care processes, as well as minimizing their impact in the event they occur.
Through these actions, the aim is to improve care quality, making it safer and more reliable for patients and their families during the entire rehabilitation process.
At the same time, Alcla’s professionals provide better patient care in terms of safety and efficiency.
The following actions and solutions contribute to patient safety at Alcla:
- Development and implementation of an “Infection Control Program” to reduce healthcare associated infections (HAIs).
- Training and awareness-raising on hand washing to promote better hygiene, a fundamental element to prevent the risk of cross-infections.
- Implementation of a bedsore prevention and healing protocol.
- Safe and accurate medication administration in transitions of care.
- Implementation of a fall prevention process, in order to reduce the risk of potential damage caused by falls.
As part of the continuous improvement in patient-centered medical quality, the “Infection Control Program” has been implemented by infectious disease physician Dr. Jorge A. San Juan and his specialized team to coordinate actions to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections within Alcla.
This program is based on a series of actions aimed at promoting the prevention and reduction of healthcare associated infections (HAIs), thus contributing to the rehabilitation process.
Programs and Preventive Actions
The “Teaching Program” is one of the main initiatives and is composed of scheduled and incidental internal training, which facilitates learning of prevention and control measures for HAIs, aimed at staff from all areas as well as visitors, family members and patients.
“Hand washing days” are also held to create and promote this habit, which is essential to reduce cross-infections.
Using the “Protocol for colonized patients” (carriers of multi-resistant bacteria), the specialized medical team of the Infectious Diseases Department, provides:
- A set of measures and regulations to decolonize carrier patients in the shortest possible time, preventing the risk of infections caused by this group of bacteria.
- The possibility of continuing with the rehabilitation treatment, ensuring safety and care quality. The protocol applied to colonized patients includes a series of Biosafety Standards that allow the rehabilitation treatment NOT to be interrupted.
In turn, the Infection Control Program includes the following:
- “Process surveillance”, consisting of care processes and regulations created following international recommendations which are systematically controlled through audits and checklists for patient benefit.
- “Results monitoring”, enabling systematic data recording through software (EPICONTROL), which provides relevant and reliable data, favoring an effective action plan and specific antibiotic treatment.
- “Rational use of antibiotics policy” for an adequate use of antibiotic treatments, favoring the patient’s health and recovery.
