Identification of employees in healthcare facilities
Introduction
Accreditation of healthcare facilities by the United Accreditation Commission, public service organization (SAK, o. p. s.) means that these facilities have met the requirements of 74 standards related to the quality of care and patient safety. The individual standards also aim to continuously improve and systematically reduce the number of risks for patients and employees. (Cetlová, Stančiak, 2010, p. 66).
SAK o.p.s. Standard No. 46 states: "The management of the hospital facility complies with generally binding regulations - national and sectoral legislation. It ensures a safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors, implements measures for the prevention of accidents and injuries, and minimizes and controls possible hazards and risks. All persons involved in the activities of the hospital must be marked with identification that is understandable to patients (usually a name tag). This requirement also applies to employees of supplier companies, for example those providing hospital cleaning services." (Marx, Vlček, 2008).
Hospital facilities adopt the widespread use of employee identification for the purpose of meeting individual accreditation standards related to providing safe and quality care in relation to preventing potential risks of error (Cetlová, Nováková, 2011, p. 105).
In healthcare facilities, this situation is addressed by an internal regulation, which is recorded within the controlled documentation, for example under a director's order, directive, regulation, etc.
Procedure
Personal identification cards in healthcare facilities are often introduced as a mandatory universal means for visual identification of healthcare facility employees and certain other persons present in the facility, such as visitors - guests, employees of other organizations providing various services contractually within the inpatient healthcare facility premises, etc. Identification cards are the property of the respective healthcare facility and are issued by the human resources department to individuals who have an employment or similar relationship. Upon termination of employment, the employee is obliged to return the card undamaged (normal wear and tear excluded). The graphic design of the card includes on the front side a photograph of the employee and the logo of the healthcare facility, the employee's first name, surname, and title, their job function, and personal identification number; the reverse side has no identifying marks. For employees of the healthcare facility, these cards are the only personal identification document. Visitors - guests are issued identification cards in a graphically different design, where the card contains the text GUEST, the logo of the inpatient healthcare facility, and a numerical designation. Visitors - guests are issued the cards upon arrival and collected upon departure by the secretariat of the director of the healthcare facility. Employees of other healthcare facilities and students staying in the healthcare facility for a certain period, for example for an internship, professional practice, etc., use identification cards from their respective home institution for their own visual identification.
The employee (holder) is obliged to protect the identification card from loss, damage, theft, physical deterioration, and misuse by another person. Any modifications to the card are not permitted. When the holder of the identification card is present on the premises of the healthcare facility, they are required to wear it visibly placed on their clothing; violation of this obligation will be considered under the provisions of §38, para. 1, letter b of Act No. 262/2006 Coll., the Labour Code (as amended - hereinafter the Labour Code) as a failure to fulfill obligations arising from the employment relationship. For failure to fulfill obligations arising from the employment relationship (with reference to labour law regulations, e.g., the Labour Code, § 52, letter g and other regulations), the employer may apply appropriate sanctions against the card holder (employee). Loss, theft, or deterioration of the badge and personal changes shall be reported by the holder immediately to the human resources department of the healthcare facility, which will take corrective measures and subsequently issue a new card.
An exception to the obligation to wear a name tag applies in situations where the card could restrict the employee in their work, such as in the operating theatre. This exception may be granted by an authorized employee or the head of the department.
Method and Results
Indicator of Standard No. 46 stipulates that healthcare facility workers and other persons involved in the activities of the healthcare facility are identified in a manner understandable to patients. In connection with a new internal regulation issued in January 2008, titled "Use of Identification Cards for Employees and External Persons," it was necessary not only to inform staff of this regulation and to thoroughly educate employees on the use of identification cards, but also to monitor compliance with this regulation. Employee identification is monitored during internal audits, and any non-conformities are addressed at the hospital management level. For data collection, we chose the dining area of the inpatient healthcare facility's cafeteria, where an employee collected data during meal service and subsequently analyzed it. The employee recorded the data on a form, a so-called tally sheet. Staff were informed of the survey results at meetings of head physicians, head nurses, and ward sisters.
Following the issuance and subsequent implementation of the internal regulation in 2008, the relevant audits - Employee Identification by ID Card - were conducted with greater frequency. The main reason for the high number of employees without an identification card was the initial disregard for the issued regulation. This was evident in January and February of that year, when nearly 24% of employees did not have an identification card. These negative results were presented at meetings of head physicians, head nurses, and ward sisters. In the subsequent period of that year, a significant improvement in the use of identification cards was already observed. This improvement was certainly contributed to by the re-education of staff on compliance with the established rules. Due to the established criteria for assessing quality and safety, regular annual monitoring of the use of identification cards by employees was introduced as part of the internal audit process. At present, the use of identification cards has become a common practice, and only in exceptional cases do employees forget to take their card.
Conclusion
Inpatient healthcare facilities expose themselves and their patients to the risk of low quality and safety of care if they do not learn from their good and bad experiences and do not take steps towards continuous improvement. Ensuring quality care and a safe environment for patients is gradually becoming a priority for all healthcare facilities. (Cetlová, Kafková, 2011, p. 22). We can state that the healthcare facility has developed a systematic procedure for employee identification.
Authors: Vlasta Dvořáková, Mgr.; Mária Kopáčiková, Doc. , PhDr. , PhD.
List of References
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