Workarounds and Their Implications for Public Safety: Clinical Practice, Patient Risk, and Systemic Solutions
Overview
This paper examines workarounds in clinical settings, defining them as actions taken to circumvent operational blocks to achieve goals. Through a personal internship experience, the author analyzes both the positive aspects of workarounds in emergency situations and their significant risks to patient safety, ultimately arguing for systemic changes in equipment sterilization, diagnostic protocols, and response unit procedures.
What this essay covers
- Definition and context of workarounds in clinical scenarios with referenced literature
- Personal case study demonstrating positive and negative implications of workaround use
- Three critical areas requiring change: device sterilization, diagnostic accuracy, and emergency response systems
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Workarounds and Their Implications for Public Safety
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Workarounds and Their Implications for Public Safety
Workaround refers to an action performed by a person to escape or circumvent a block in their operations to help them achieve their goal (Debono et al., 2013; Debono, 2014)). In a clinical scenario, like other fields, workarounds are very common. Sometimes life is in critical conditions, and workarounds only help to hasten the process and save lives. However, several debates exist about workarounds, with other people saying that it risks the patients' lives since it breaks protocol. Nonetheless, workarounds have negative and positive sides, while some aspects should be changed to ensure maximum patient safety.
When I was undertaking my internship, the bosses had gone for a strategic meeting. We were left to take care of the situation and help the available nurse practitioners so that work does not overwhelm them. The newly posted nurse needed the security card to unlock the system so she can give a prescription to a patient. She claimed to have left her card with her handbag in the café and requested to use mine. I did not hesitate to help. Unluckily, she gave the wrong prescription, and the patient's situation worsened a day later. Upon re-examination, I carried the blame for a wrong prescription, and my grade lowered since I was an intern.
The above case has two sides of workarounds, the positive and the negative.