YOGYAKARTA – According to WHO (World Health Organization), the hospital is an integral part of a social and health organization with the function to provide complete services (comprehensive), cure (curative) and disease prevention (preventive) to the public. The hospital is also a training center for health workers and medical research.
But from around 2000 hospitals across the country, currently not all have the standards for health care and patient safety. Because, in reality, the problems associated with patient safety in hospitals tend to go unreported, unrecorded, or just escape the attention.
"In America alone, 120 thousand of cases experiencing ‘unexpected events’ were found each year," said dr. Andreasta Meliala, DP, M. Kes, MARS to reporters in the framework of implementation of the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM), Faculty of Medicine, Tuesday (1/3).
Poor health and patient safety service in hospital often causes cases of ‘undesirable events’. The researcher of hospital health services from UGM said the undesired event is not the same as malpractice cases. It is rather because of the inability of hospitals to handle an illness, the complexity of diseases caused by drug and prescription errors, wrong diagnosis, and so on. "What is needed in health services is patient protection," she said.
Various efforts are continuously made to improve medical measures to provide services to patients and minimize risk to patients by improving the quality of health services. Based on research results, KTD occurred in 13.7% of inpatients. "Actually, this undesired event can be prevented, because it is more associated with the system of care," she said.
To minimize undesired events, it should involve cooperation of patients, insurers and government. "Furthermore an audit and guidance to the hospital are performed," she said.
On the occasion, Andreasta delivered that the 5th Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) was conducted in the framework of the celebration of the 8th Lustrum of Faculty of Medicine UGM and the 29th anniversary of Dr. Sardjito Hospital. ASM theme this time was ‘Safety and Quality in Health’. The event will be carried out in form of parallel seminar and workshop which will take place on 3-4 March in the Faculty. It invited practitioners and representatives of health institutions namely from WHO and Ministry of Health, doctors and nurses from hospitals, health centers and health clinics. "They will share experience and best practice," she said.