Introduction
Quality assurance is a critical component of the healthcare industry since it helps improve the environment for staff and patients. The long-term care (LTC) employees need to conduct frequent auditing to ensure that they meet all the qualities and demands in the industry (Lloyd-Sherlock et al., 2021). Audits provide reliable and objective reviews of the organizational performance, services, and processes, ensuring that the LTC practices the best skills. This ensures that the patients receive quality services and guarantees their safety through compliance with laws and regulations. Audits within long-term care facilities can be used to evaluate patient care, safety, and quality of life. The stakeholders involved in the audit process include healthcare team members, such as physicians, nurses, nutritionists, and other professionals.
The research utilizes data from interviews, observations, surveys, and document reviews and analyzes them to pinpoint areas that need to be improved. For instance, the data reveals areas requiring improvement based on patient care, safety, or quality of life. Therefore, auditing is a critical component of quality assurance and patient safety in healthcare since it provides a comprehensive review of an organization’s performance, processes, and services, which is usable in identifying areas of improvement and potential risks (Heller et al., 2020). By engaging various stakeholders in the audit process and analyzing the collected data, healthcare teams can ensure that best practices are followed and that patient safety is maintained.
Findings
Point-of-service dining in the LTC helps determine the patient’s lifestyle and influences recovery differently. It determines how the patients survive through the illness and determines how effective their response is to stimuli. Therefore, it is essential to audit how the employees undergo their point-of-service dining.
The point-of-service dining audit comprises four phases: general observations, meal service, nutrition, and cleanliness. The general observations evaluate the overall atmosphere and performance of the dining area. It is designed to evaluate the dining staff’s overall level of service, safety, and comfort. It examines the comfortability and adequacy of resources within the environment and evaluates whether it helps the patient to recuperate fully.
On the other hand, the meal services focus on the type of food the patient consumes and how it helps them in their recovery. The meal service includes information regarding food presentation, temperature, and quantities of food issued. It informs whether the patient is willing to consume the food the LTC shares, easing their monitoring.
Conversely, nutrition evaluates the value the food patients consume provides to their bodies. It questions whether the meals are provided in varieties and identifies whether they are balanced and nutritious or not. Cleanliness evaluates the cleanliness of the dining area and inquires whether it is clean and well-maintained. It also looks at how hygienic and orderly the meal is cooked, as well as how well the dishes and utensils are cleaned.
The results of the dining area audit are satisfactory overall since the seating is comfortable and adequate for the number of clients, creating a welcoming and attractive environment. The staff is friendly and helpful, ensuring the food is served at the right temperature and in an attractive presentation. The portion size is appropriate, and clients can choose the meal they want. The meals are balanced and nutritious, with enough variety and healthy options.
Additionally, the dining area is clean and well-maintained, and the food is prepared orderly and sanitary. These results suggest that the dining area meets its standards, and no further follow-up is needed. It is, however, essential to ensure that the dining area standards are maintained to ensure the safety and satisfaction of clients. This can be achieved through regular inspections, monitoring of customer feedback, and encouraging feedback from staff. Additionally, it is essential to ensure that the food is of high quality and that the environment is inviting and comfortable.
The audit results prove that the dining area provides a satisfactory experience for its clients and that its standards are being met. It is, however, essential to maintain these standards to guarantee a safe and enjoyable dining experience. Ultimately, these measures will ensure that the dining area remains a pleasant and safe place for clients to enjoy their meals. The follow-up duties will be assigned by the dining staff supervisor, who will be responsible for ensuring that the standards of the dining area are maintained. The supervisor will also ensure that any deficiencies noted by the audit are addressed.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Based on the audit’s results, I recommend changes in policies, procedures, and personnel. The audit should be computed monthly to ensure that the facility is adhering to the standards of care and meeting the needs of its residents. It is a primary concern to assign specific tasks to individuals and set deadlines for completion to ensure that the follow-up is completed. The healthcare team should also monitor the progress of the follow-up to ensure that tasks are being completed promptly.
References
Heller, S. R., Gianfrancesco, C., Taylor, C., & Elliott, J. (2020). What are the characteristics of the best type 1 diabetes patient education programmes (from diagnosis to long-term care), do they improve outcomes and what is required to make them more effective? Diabetic Medicine, 37(4), 545-554. Web.
Lloyd-Sherlock, P., Penhale, B., & Redondo, N. (2021). Evaluating the quality of long-term care services in the city of La Plata, Argentina. Ageing & Society, 41(1), 208-230. Web.