110 Unit 1 Introduction to Healthcare Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. • The World Health Organization (WHO), created in 1948 as part of the United Nations, is tasked with “directing and coordinating” international health policy. WHO defi nes patient safety as the prevention of errors and harmful effects to patients. These effects are defi ned as a process of not performing the right procedure or implementing the wrong procedure, resulting in hazardous healthcare conditions or unintended harm. • The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a nonprofi t organization dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare in the United States. The NQF has a three-part mission—to set goals for performance improvement, to endorse standards for measuring and reporting on performance, and to promote educational and outreach programs. Private and governmental organizations continually monitor healthcare organizations with the goal of eliminating errors in medical care that are damaging as well as preventable. The important points to remember from these efforts, both nationally and privately, are to • be aware and mindful of safety at all times • always work toward preventing errors or harm • learn from the errors that do occur and • work to ensure a culture of safety involving healthcare staff, organizations, and patients. Infection Control Healthcare facilities battle continuously to prevent the spread of microorgan- isms that can cause infectious disease. These microorganisms, known as pathogens, can present major problems both for patients and employees. Today, most health- care facilities have a separate department devoted exclusively to infection control. Many facilities call this the Department of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control (HEIC). In this section, you will learn some basic information about pathogens and the standard procedures for preventing them from spreading. Introduction to Microorganisms Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi are everywhere in our environment—in the air, on our skin, in food, and on everything that we touch. You cannot see bacteria without a microscope. Viruses, which are much smaller than bacteria or fungi, cannot even be seen using a standard microscope. Not all microorganisms cause illness. The ones that do not cause illness are called nonpathogenic microorganisms. Nonpathogenic microorganisms, such as the bacteria in our intestines, maintain a balance in the environment and in our bodies. When in balance, these bacteria do not cause health problems instead, they contribute to good health by helping to break down waste and nutrients. Under normal circumstances, nonpathogenic microorganisms do not cause disease, but there are exceptions to this rule. For example, in some circumstances, such as surgery that perforates (punctures) the bowel, the bacteria in the colon can spill into the body cavity and cause serious infection. bacteria small, one-celled microorganisms that cannot be seen by the naked eye can be pathogenic (cause disease) viruses pathogenic microorganisms, much smaller than bacteria, that depend on a living cell to survive cause many serious diseases and illnesses fungi parasitic organisms that live in the soil or on plants include disease-causing microorganisms such as yeasts and molds