Accreditation Audit Task 1.

A1.
Communication, this is the key focus area that is evaluated in this summary. Communication is a key focus area of the joint commission audit and is also a key area in which Nightingale Community can make enhancements. Communications must be a two way free flow of information. The information exchanges occur between providers, staff, and patients or clients. This was an area that needed improvement was noted in the previous accreditation audit. Some noted prior issues from 2 years ago included patient and family education and information not being properly disseminated to the nursing staff. These are areas where we have targeted and currently meet. Some areas that we continue to work on are as follows. …show more content…
The non-approved abbreviations have been misunderstood in past patient interactions and can cause further questions for the provider. Nightingale will continue to monitor the use of non-approved abbreviation list, continuing to document and train all clinical staff on what to avoid making for safer communications and better patient outcomes.

A2.
Communications is important to the ongoing success of Nightingale Community as we strive not only to surpass accreditation goals but to patient outcomes and the organization as a whole. Good workplace communications are a cornerstone of every business and healthcare is no exception.
The communications that we address in our policies are vital to not only our success but also for better patient safety and improved patient outcomes. The site ID policy is a prime example of this wrong site surgeries are an unfortunate danger within the healthcare industry but they do occur, this is why the site ID policy is so important. The time out policy is really an extension of the site ID policy. Again this policy makes the team work together and verbally call out the site, and how the patient is to be positioned for the surgery. Why are these two policies so important for the organization obviously it is for patient safety but also to reduce risk for the organization in the event of an error. One plus to this policy is it makes the surgical team communicate and work as a team. This policy allows for all surgical team