2023 OHCA Conference: The Top Patient Safety Challenges for Long-term Care Facilities
On September 19, we participated in the 2023 Oregon Health Care Association (OHCA) Annual Convention. Throughout the day, we chatted with many long-term care professionals and partners about their patient safety challenges. This was the perfect opportunity to also share more about our two voluntary, mission-driven patient safety programs: the Patient Safety Reporting Program and Early Discussion and Resolution.
Throughout these conversations, two key concepts resonated with everyone we spoke to:
The immense value that can be gained in learning from each other
The benefit of speaking openly with patients and families after a serious adverse event
To better understand the patient safety challenges long-term care facilities face, we also asked conference attendees two main questions. Here’s what we learned!
Question 1: What is your biggest resident safety concern?
Lack of support systems
Lifts left in the room
Medication errors
Mobility
Not feeling like they belong
Recliners that tip
Residents hesitant to call for help
Safe discharge planning
Staffing, short staffing, finding a nurse
Training
Trust
Unlocked medication cart
Allergens
Conflict resolution
COVID
Dementia
Drug, alcohol, and cigarette use
Emotional safety
Falls
Happiness
Inadequate social networks
Increased level of care
Impulsivity
Isolation
Keeping residents safe when off-site
Out of the above list, the three most common concerns people shared with us are falls, staffing, and residents being hesitant to call for help. The full list of responses speaks to the complexity of the long-term care setting and the many challenges providers and staff think about when providing care.
Question 2: What’s something you’ve learned about keeping residents safe that you wish everyone knew?
Here are the top three things conference attendees wish everyone knew about keeping long-term care patients and residents safe:
Treat residents like you would like to be treated.
Listen to your patients.
Double-check, double-check, and double-check!
And thank you!
From all of us at OPSC, thank you to everyone who shared their responses. We know that the more we share about patient safety challenges and lessons learned, the more likely we will find solutions that truly make care safer for everyone.