Quality of care and patient safety from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals

Abstract

Quality of care and patient safety have become major issues in health care. There is a great emphasis on illness, treatment, and the prevention of suffering, both in training and practice. The concept of “cure” in English comes from the Latin word “curare,” meaning “to watch over.” Historically, care was provided by nurses who were “mothers” within many of the large religious institutions founded to provide shelter and food to the needy. For these individuals, a virtual death sentence was issued, and they were summarily removed from their homes and placed in these facilities where they hoped to live out their lives in a degree of comfort. In many cases, the expectation is now equal to that of many corporate workers; only the terminally ill are permanently housed. The experience of care depends on many contributing factors, both structural service characteristics and more transient individual characteristics, as well as intrinsic social and cultural characteristics. As one passes through and through different health care settings, one is likely to encounter very different paths in terms of professional approach; These include, in addition to what is evident from the introduction of palliative care pathways.