Dialysis and health centers offering dialysis services should be held to the same safety standards. The maintenance of such principles is important because errors in the process of dialysis can cause death or harm. Dialysis equipment is not a major cause of morbidity but the human factors while using the apparatuses contribute to the complications arising from the process. The suboptimal and machine interface communication amongst the caregivers is the main source of errors (Bošković, 2017). It is therefore important that the facilities are inspected to guarantee that they meet the safety procedures set by the regulatory bodies.
The standards will also ensure that the personnel working in those facilities meet the required qualifications and experience. In many states in the USA, the regulations for dialysis centers are not strong enough because, in some states such as California, they are inspected once every six years. However, the centers can stay for up to ten years without being checked (Kallenbach, 2015). The state and federal agencies that are responsible for regulations and inspections have not enacted robust laws to regulate the sector.
The main problem the dialysis centers are facing is non-compliance with the federal and state medical quality standards, thus exposing patients to unnecessary harm. To protect the ever-increasing number of patients who use the facilities, the government agencies responsible for the inspection of such centers need to conduct regular reviews to ensure that there is compliance (Kallenbach, 2015). The surveillance should focus on the facilities and the personnel responsible for offering the services. Infections affecting the bloodstream are the main causes of deaths amongst patients in dialysis centers. It is therefore important that the highest level of hygiene is maintained among the dialysis service providers and the machines used in the process (Iqbal & Baig, 2020). For instance, nurses should wear masks while attending to their patients because it is the best way to protect them.
References
Bošković, D. (2017). Inspection and testing of dialysis machines. In A. Badnjević, M. Cifrek, R. Magjarević, Z. Džemić (Eds.), Inspection of medical devices (pp. 203−220). Springer.
Iqbal, A., & Baig, A. (2020). Management of dialysis access. In K. M. Jain, Office-based endovascular centers (pp. 253−263). Elsevier.
Kallenbach, J. Z. (2015). Review of hemodialysis for nurses and dialysis personnel (9th ed.). Mosby.