Final answer:
Physicians and nursing staff access patient test results through systems like lab-on-a-chip technology and hemovigilance systems, which provide fast, accurate diagnostics and track patient results to prevent errors. Public health measures involve analyzing medical records and statistics to manage health issues. Rigorous protocols ensure patient safety and support.
Step-by-step explanation:
All test results of hospital patients are available to physicians and nursing staff in-house through various means. One such innovative development is the lab-on-a-chip technology, which has the potential to revolutionize the field of diagnostics by enabling fast and inexpensive testing for multiple diseases, including HIV. This technology facilitates prompt detection and treatment, thereby minimizing the progression of diseases. Moreover, comprehensive databases and hemovigilance systems ensure accurate tracking of patient results and contribute to minimizing errors, such as those that can lead to hemolytic transfusion reactions (HTRs).
As for public health measures, epidemiologists rely on medical records to track and manage outbreaks and disease prevalence. For example, conducting interviews with a sample of patients or statistically analyzing the incidence of diseases in a population, such as nursing home residents, are critical tasks in this regard.
In clinical settings, ensuring the safety and reliability of medical procedures, like blood transfusions, involves rigorous protocols. Medical professionals are required to verify details like patient identity and procedure accuracy to prevent mishaps. In the case of positive test results, hospitals may also establish counseling protocols to support affected patients.