Patient Observation Overview

Patient Observation Overview

patient observation

S E R V I C E O V E R V I E W

© TouchPoint Support Services 2017. All rights reserved.

PATIENT OBSERVER

Helping to safeguard patients with behavioral or mental health challenges The Joint Commission now requires hospitals to provide one-on-one visual and audible monitoring of patients who might pose a risk to themselves or others. Patient observers play a vital role in helping our client ministries keep patients who have behavioral or mental health diagnoses from harming themselves. In response to the heightened focus by The Joint Commission and client demand, TouchPoint Support Services is adding this new role to our line-up of hospitality services. Why is this important to you? When video monitoring won’t suffice, one-on- one visual and audible monitoring is required and often regarded as an essential health benefit under the Affordable Care Act. Today many hospitals commonly use nurses, security guards or other highly paid associates to fill the need. With compassionate patient observeration assistants, TouchPoint helps you achieve your compliance and cost containment goals. And it will help your nurses, PCTs and clinical leadership focus on clinical patient care.

Are these requirements new? No, but in Spring 2017, The Joint Commission placed “added emphasis” on the assessment of ligature, suicide and self- harm observations in psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric patient areas in general hospitals. This has resulted in a higher level of scrutiny over one-on- one observation when video monitoring is deemed insufficient.

TOUCHPOINT SUPPORT SERVICES

ATION ASSISTANTS

PATIENT OBSERVATION PROGRAM WITH OPTIONAL TRANSPORT

Patient observeration assistants monitor the patient 24/7 with visual and audible observation of each patient’s behavior and condition; engages the patient, as appropriate

• Observation compliant with regulations and patient needs • 24-hour TouchPoint leadership and break coverage

• Managed process includes scheduling, shift-change protocols, unannounced spot checks and written reports on the patients behavior and condition • Observers are CPR-certified, TouchPoint-trained and hospital-based MOAB-trained • Additional training offered to support patient transport and toileting

Building on Your Fall Prevention Program Patient observers can easily become part of your ministry’s fall prevention program. Research has found a statistically significant correlation between lower rates of falls with harm and the use of patient observers. 1

At least 30% of all falls result in a moderate to severe injury and are regarded as a hospital-acquired condition. 2

1. Feil M, Wallace SC. The use of patient observers to reduce falls: best practices. Pa Patient Saf Advis 2014; 11(1):8-14.

2. Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality

PAT I E N T O B S E R V E R S

SAMPLE OBSERVATION REPORT

TIME

OBSERVATION

INTERVENTION

0800

Sleeping

0830

Awake/Cooperative

0900

Pulling at Lines

Diversional Activities

0930

Aggressive/Combative

Bed Alarm

Patient observers report on the patient’s behavior on an agreed timetable to brief nursing and the next shift.

getting started

On-Site TouchPoint Leadership

Ministry-specific needs

24-hour leadership coverage is necessary to manage fluctuating demand • Design census-specific procedures • SOPs (shift change, rounding expectations, quality assurance)

Set shared metrics and procedures Reporting • Communications • Breaks & shift changes

Nurse-educator support during transition

INTERESTED? Contact your TouchPoint director for more information.

© TouchPoint Support Services 2017. All rights reserved.