In view of the recent attack by patient's relatives on a reputed Hospital in Hyderabad....few Guide lines that need to be followed to avoid/ prevent such attacks....some of these guidelines are applicable to dental clinics as well.
20 suggestions to prevent hospital attacks.
1. Install high definition CC cameras and make sure people know that your facility has cameras.
2. Pay for good security around the clock. Limit visitors, don't allow crowds or drunken people inside the premises. It is possible with professional security personnel.
3. Improve and invest in communication skills and soft skills for all healthcare personnel. (Reason: the same idea can be communicated non-offensively with good skills) Unprofessional staff behaviour adversely affects the reputation of the hospital and the doctor.
4. Unfortunately people often assume that deaths are the fault of the doctor or hospital. The human body is not a machine like a car: all diseases cannot be cured. It is important to educate the general public that even a 'routine' pregnancy can have a bad outcome in spite of the best care.
5. When a case is filed for hospital assault, do not back down due to pressure from politicians and others. Very few convictions have occurred, and this reflects poorly on doctors' legal follow up capabilities.
6. Maintain cordial relationship with the local police officers, councillors and other key opinion leaders.
7. Do not allow loose talk after a bad outcome. Hold a closed door meeting with all the staff involved with the patient and prepare a common statement about what happened. Everyone should stick to the same story. (Like in the movie Drishyam). This prevents each person giving a different version and causing confusion. Preferably direct all enquiries to one senior person; this is important for calls from media etc.
8. Do not mindlessly circulate videos showing doctors getting beaten up. The average public will see it and think "Hey!! I can also do that when I get a chance he next time". Why is this? Copy cat crimes are a bane of modern society. Typical example is school shootings in America. Within days of one school shooting news, another shooting invariably occurs.
9. We think society sympathises with doctors. We are wrong. As a community, we are not loved much any more - until we are NEEDED as individuals by a given patient. Lawyers too fall into this category.
10. Self-evaluation and correction about where we went wrong is helpful. As in any profession, corrupt/unethical practices have eroded the public's respect for the medical profession.
11. Let the public know about hospital protection bill (Kerala) and its NON-BAILABLE clause. It is a scary keyword. Display these notices prominently in high traffic areas, especially at the main gate, casualty and ICU's.
12. Hold periodic security meetings with all staff of hospital and discuss preventive as well as protective measures so that no one is caught by surprise when a problem occurs.
13. "Code white" arrangement for emergency assembling of staff in areas of potential trouble. If a few able-bodied staff members arrive at the scene immediately, it is less likely that an assault will happen.
14. Alert administration and security AS SOON AS a possibility of trouble in sensed, do not wait until after death occurs or attack happens. Consider doing a mock attack drill to see if the hospital machinery can cope with it.
15. Before declaring death, make sure that all documentation is complete, as records could be seized abruptly. Any subsequent entries will be deemed wrongful. Insist on autopsy for death on table.
16. Direct all enquiries about the patient's progress to the treating doctor. If the patient is serious, do not make false reassuring statements that 'everything is ok'. This can cause outrage when the news breaks.
17. There must be a counseling room near ICU or casualty where relatives can be seated with respect and calmly appraised of the patient's progress. A congested corridor is not the place for such conversations.
18. Don't take unnecessary risks of doing complex surgeries where theatre/ICU setup is inadequate.
19. Don't keep billing till the end, collect in instalments during the hospitalisation. Many assaults happen just to avoid bill payments.
20. While receiving a patient referred from another hospital, avoid making loose derogatory remarks about the care given. What goes around comes around.
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