The Patient Safety Alliance publishes patient information on infection prevention in outpatient care
03.02.2022 12:51
After the Aktionsbündnis Patient Safety eV (APS) launched the “Germany recognizes sepsis” campaign last year as an important part of the infection prevention strategy, information is now being published for patients about infection prevention in outpatient care, for example in doctor's offices or during home visits , entitled “Avoid infections, but how?”
What are infection control measures? Why are these measures effective? What are infections actually? And why is it so important to avoid them? Patients and their relatives can find answers to these questions in a compact and clear manner in the new brochure. The brochure is available to download free of charge from the APS website www.aps-ev.de available.
“Improving patient safety and infection protection are inseparable,” says Dr. Ruth Hecker, Chairwoman of the APS and Chief Patient Safety Officer at the University Medical Center Essen. “Therefore, as the elected board of the Patient Safety Action Alliance, we are pursuing infection prevention as the top priority of a total of five top goals in the current term in office in order to achieve more patient safety in Germany. We develop methods and supportive measures to ensure that patients are safe during their medical care and treatment. This also includes a large part of preventing illnesses as well as providing information, including to patients. Patients can also do a lot for their own safety to avoid infections.”
The new APS patient information provides an overview. The APS patient information “Avoid infections, but how?” can be accessed at the following link: https://www.aps-ev.de/hempfehlungen/infektionen-vermeiden/
“The type of communication with patients is essential to increase patient safety,” says Constantin Grosch, deputy chairman of the Patient Safety Alliance. “It is particularly important that health issues are understandable for the entire population. Also, to reach patients as widely as possible. For this reason, the new patient information contains clear checklists and short sections for which the appropriate information can be found. It is divided into short sections for quick comprehension,” says Constantin Grosch, deputy chairman of the APS and active patient representative.
“Many of the measures in our commitment relate to the prevention of illnesses,” explains Prof. Dr. Reinhard Strametz, Secretary General of the APS. “We are also co-initiators of “Health Reform Now” in collaboration with one of our sepsis partners, the Sepsis Foundation (www.gesundheitsreform.jetzt). The seventh point we mention there is that it is important to include the existing WHO recommendations on infection prevention, preparedness for pandemics, combating sepsis and containing antibiotic resistance as part of a national infection management strategy. This patient information is another building block for this.”
Patient information and recommendations for action are created by the Patient Safety Action Alliance through development in working groups on various patient safety topics and form the heart of the work. The expert group for the development was led by Dr. Tobias Kramer, specialist in hygiene and microbiology at the Berlin Charité and at the LADR Central Laboratory Dr. Kramer & colleagues. Dr. Kramer: “In patient information that has already been published by the Patient Safety Alliance, patients can find out how they can protect themselves from infections during a hospital stay. With this brochure we are expanding this area of application. We give patients and their caring relatives information on how the risk of infection can be reduced. Be it in home care or outpatient therapy. This is an important addition to APS patient information.”
About the Patient Safety Action Alliance e. V. (APS):
Representatives of the health professions, their associations, patient organizations as well as from industry and business have joined the Patient Safety Action Alliance. V. (APS) joined forces to build a common platform to improve patient safety in Germany. Together they decide and support the association's projects and initiatives. The APS was founded in April 2005 as a non-profit organization. It is committed to safe healthcare and is dedicated to researching, developing and disseminating suitable methods. You can find more information at www.aps-ev.de