Top 5 Types of Hospital Policies & Procedures

September 8, 2020 RLDatix Marketing
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From patient discharge procedures to staff hygiene requirements, policies and procedures are comprehensive guidelines that communicate important information to staff across a healthcare organisation. <\/strong>
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\nPolicies and procedures serve as a guide for daily operations and help ensure compliance with legal requirements. Healthcare’s complex structure requires that a policy and procedure library is comprehensive, covering a wide range of content that protects patients, visitors, staff and the organisation.  <\/p>\n\n

Maintaining and properly managing policies helps reduce the risk of accidents, improves efficiency and helps maintain a sound environment for all. While healthcare policies and procedures vary depending on the organisation, some categories are consistent across all healthcare organisations.  <\/p>\n\n

Here’s an easy-to-read breakdown of healthcare’s top five types of policies and procedures:<\/strong>  <\/p>\n\n

1. Patient Care  <\/strong><\/span>
\nWhat is the fundamental purpose of a healthcare organisation? To deliver care to patients. It’s no surprise that the most comprehensive set of healthcare policies and procedures is related to overall care operations in a healthcare facility. This subcategory of policies and procedures can cover topics including nutrition guides, patient and family education, abuse and neglect, admission and discharge and patient rights and responsibilities. Most importantly, effective patient care policies should support staff in understanding how your organisation handles specific medical situations, and equip them with the correct information they need at the point of care.  <\/p>\n\n

Care policies also differ depending on individual departments and their unique role within an organisation. For example, a hospital’s paediatric and cardiology departments will have a set of policies unique to their individual care practices.  <\/p>\n\n

2. Health and Safety  <\/strong><\/span>
\nHealth and safety policies are especially important considering that healthcare professionals face greater health and safety risks on the job, compared to other industries. Depending on your specific type of healthcare facility, examples of these policies could cover the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), what to do when staff are exposed to dangerous substances or face any security threats. Having these policies in place helps staff to be more aware of their surroundings and keeps the safety of everyone top of mind.  <\/p>\n\n

As the healthcare industry continues to adapt to changes brought on by COVID-19, many healthcare organisations are incorporating COVID-19 content into their policy libraries. The pandemic has taken a physical and emotional toll on healthcare staff around the world, prompting some organisations to incorporate tools to support staff members and their mental health. If your organisation has implemented similar tools or programs, make sure to include information on these resources in your policy library. <\/p>\n\n

It’s also important to keep in mind policies related to staff’s overall wellness. These policies can cover resources for internal fitness programs, social support groups and other programs your organisation has in place to support health outcomes for staff.  <\/p>\n\n

3. Information Management<\/strong><\/span> 
\nAs healthcare organisations continue to adopt technology solutions, data privacy and IT security are becoming increasingly important. Since shared information across a healthcare organisation can include private information related to staff members, patients or visitors, it’s important that processes are in place to securely store and manage this data. Healthcare policies that help support information management encompass topics such as confidentiality, security and integrity of information and the distribution of medical records. <\/p>\n\n

4. Drug Handling and Management<\/span><\/strong> 
\nPharmacy is typically one of the largest departments of a hospital. In a hospital context, the pharmacy handles all medicine purchasing, manufacturing and dispensing. Due to the sensitive nature of the pharmacy department and its role within a healthcare organisation, it is essential that this department follows a strict set of guidelines to help reduce medication errors or accidents. Pharmacy policies cover a range of topics including prescription protocols, outpatient prescription availability and drug sample protocols.  <\/p>\n\n

5. Administrative and HR<\/span><\/strong> 
\nAdministrative policies help healthcare facilities run smoothly and ensure that staff, patient and visitor needs are appropriately addressed. Administrative policies and procedures can include visitation rules, dress code policy, acquisition of equipment and bed policy.  <\/p>\n\n

A healthcare organisation’s human resource management department handles a variety of responsibilities related to the internal health of an organisation. In particular, this department focuses on supporting the safety and welfare of staff, communicating legal and ethical standards and developing an organisation’s culture. To ensure that an organisation is functioning properly, it’s important for its HR department to create and maintain a comprehensive list of policies and procedures. Similar to other industries, HR policies may cover annual leave and shift policies.  <\/p>\n\n

Having a system in place for managing a policy library improves the effectiveness of a healthcare organisation’s policies and procedures by streamlining policy review and acknowledgement processes. When staff can easily access your organisation’s policy library, they can more efficiently put policies and procedures into practice.  <\/p>\n\n

Once you have identified these five essential policy and procedure categories, it’s time to make the most of your policy library. Implementing a digital policy management solution like RLDatix Policy Stat helps you better organise and share policy information, further your organisation’s compliance efforts and support staff in providing better, safer care. 
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\nFind out more about how PolicyStat can help you improve performance and compliance around your policies and procedures.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n"}

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