Patient-centered staffing with ISO standards

Never before have our healthcare systems and their capacities been under so much scrutiny. The world has been brutally exposed to the need for adequate healthcare resources in terms of beds, equipment and of course medical personnel. Yet studies have shown that patient-centred staffing, whereby healthcare personnel are matched with the needs of the patient, results in better clinical outcomes. Recognizing the challenges this entails, a new standard for healthcare management has been developed to help.

ISO 22956, Healthcare organization management – Requirements for patient-centred staffing, aims to help healthcare organizations best consider and provide for workforce capabilities and resources in relation to patient needs.

The standard provides a number of innovative staffing models and methodologies aimed at maximizing patient safety and improving cost efficiencies. It considers every aspect of personnel management, including workforce planning, internal and external resource allocation, forecasting, regulatory requirements, capacity in emergency situations and more.

ISO 22956 also considers the needs of individual patients and focuses on a wide range of areas such as optimizing patient safety, managing risks, ensuring continuity of care, quality of the care, organizational culture and leadership, and evidence-based decision making.