THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON HEALTHCARE SAFETY AND QUALITY INITIATIVES ARE OUTLINED IN KSA’S VISION 2030
The pandemic has had a great impact on the healthcare safety and quality initiatives set forth in KSA’s vision 2030. It gave a chance to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the to improve their healthcare safety and quality and somehow implement some of the initiatives of Vision 2030 to mitigate the severe effects of the disease. First, the Kingdom increased the use of digital health solutions. They used Health Electronic Surveillance Network to gather data on all the laboratory tests for Covid-19. They also used the Patient Tracing Unit to collect information on the cases confirmed ( Hassounah et al.,2020).
Additionally, one hospital used robots that were controlled remotely to take care of the patients in the ICU. Patients who did not require the in-patient services used smartphones to inquire about their results of text, to receive psychological assistance to reduce panic and anxiety and receive reminder messages of the safety measures they should observe.
Second, the Kingdom partnered with the private sector to provide telehealth services, such as Maya Clinic, which was the initiative of Vision 2030 to partner with private investors. The services included the teleconsultation of the medication offered via SMS text messages. The care providers prescribed the patients’ medicine electronically and made sure they were delivered to the patients through courier services and tele pharmacy services of registered companies ( Hassounah et al.,2020).
Finally, the Kingdom increased the number of healthcare professionals to meet the demand brought up by the pandemic. The healthcare profession included doctors and nurses that were trained in how to use the new technological equipment. They invested in training the professionals to get the skills that are needed to provide high-quality healthcare services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Hence through these strategies of using technology, acquiring doctors and nurses and training the professionals, some of the initiatives set forth in KSA’s vision 2030 were implemented, and they improved the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare services.
THE BARRIERS THAT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS CREATED IN HEALTHCARE.
The Covid-19 pandemic has created barriers to the implementation of safety and quality initiatives in the healthcare sector. First, the pandemic caused a sudden increase in demand for healthcare services that exceeded the available medical personnel and resources, leading to a decrease in the quality of the healthcare services provided. This is evident due to the inadequate number of personal protective gear resulting in some healthcare workers being infected in the process of providing their care ( ( Razu et al.,2021). And this resulted in a decrease in the number of healthcare providers that lowered the quality of care.
Second, the pandemic disrupted the supply chain activities leading to inadequate medical supplies and equipment because the suppliers had to change their ways of supplying the different medical supplies and observe safety protocols, which resulted in delays. This also inconvenienced some healthcare facilities from implementing the safety protocols because they lacked the necessary tools
to provide quality care.
Additionally, the Covid- 19 pandemic caused psychological and emotional stress to healthcare providers and the patients that contracted the virus as the patients were isolated from their families; hence, they got anxious. The healthcare providers worked overtime because they were inadequate, which made them spend more time in the facilities compared to their families. The healthcare providers also developed mental disorders and sleep disorders such as insomnia due to the long working hours ( Razu et al.,2021). Finally, the virus spread further due to the lack of funds to create awareness of the importance of observing the safety protocols against Covid-19.
THE ROLE OF THE HEALTHCARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST IS MITIGATING THE BARRIERS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE AND DRIVING QUALITY IN HEALTHCARE IN THE FUTURE.
The healthcare quality improvement specialist has an important role in mitigating the barriers to quality healthcare and driving quality in healthcare in the future by ensuring that the available resources and personnel are utilized to the maximum to provide the required quality care. Also, the specialist can obtain new resources such as equipment, personnel and technology to improve the efficiency of the healthcare system. By obtaining these resources, the various facilities will implement the safety procedures that will protect their patients and their healthcare workers, and in the process, the quality of care will improve. The specialist can monitor if the healthcare staff is using the standard set of procedures and safety protocols using established systems.
Additionally, the healthcare quality improvement specialist has a responsibility to increase
awareness of the importance of following the safety protocols to provide quality health. The specialist can achieve this by introducing programs that the healthcare workers will use to learn and improve their knowledge and skills to follow the safety protocols and respond to the same pandemics in the future if faced with them. The program of creating awareness should not except educating the patients to reduce the further spread of a virus.
Finally, the role specialist has a role in identifying potential sources of funds and developing appropriate procedures to access the funds when they are required to implement safety initiatives during a severe pandemic. This will improve the quality of care because the medical supplies, personnel and resources required will be readily available and easily acquired by purchasing, as there will be no financial constraints.
Reference
Hassounah, M., Raheel, H., & Alhefzi, M. (2020). Digital response during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Journal of medical Internet research, 22(9), e19338.
Razu, S. R., Yasmin, T., Arif, T. B., Islam, M. S., Islam, S. M. S., Gesesew, H. A., & Ward, P. (2021, June 25). Challenges faced by healthcare professionals during the COVID-19
pandemic: A qualitative inquiry from Bangladesh. Frontiers. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh…
this is was qoustion
In this week’s discussion:
Discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the healthcare safety and quality initiatives set forth in KSA’s Vision 2030.
Describe the barriers that the COVID-19 pandemic has created.
Analyze the role of the healthcare quality improvement specialist to mitigate these barriers and drive quality in healthcare in the future.