Your Patient Safety

We Work Hard to Protect Your Health

Patient safety is important to all of us. You can ensure a safer experience in the hospital by being involved and informed about your treatment. Ensuring hospital safety requires open communication between doctors, hospital staff, yourself and your family. It’s our belief that everyone has a role in patient safety.

When you and your family work as our partners, the risk of accidental injury decreases, while your care and safety improve. We encourage all of our patients and their families to help ensure that these safety practices are followed.

Patient Safety Programs

Carondelet participates in “Speak Up,” a national campaign sponsored by The Joint Commission, as well as our own “It’s Okay to Ask” patient safety program. We encourage you to be involved in the following manner:

Our Commitment to Your Safety

Because patient safety is so important, we’d appreciate knowing anything you want to tell us regarding your safety. The single most important way a patient can help health care providers prevent errors is to be an active member of the health care team. We encourage you to feel comfortable speaking up about any safety concerns or concerns about quality of care. You may communicate your concerns to your nurse or doctor. You may also ask to speak with the Nursing Supervisor or Patient Advocate.

Medications

Tell your doctors and nursing staff about all the medications you’re taking daily when you’re admitted to the hospital. Include prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements, such as vitamins and herbs.

Please tell us about any known allergies or known reactions you may have had with prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, herbal and vitamin supplements, food and latex. This helps you avoid being given drugs that could harm you. Make sure you understand what medications you’re being given, the dosage and when you should receive them.

Medication questions patients often ask include:

Please let us know about any concerns you may have about your medications.

While you’re in the hospital, all of your medications are prescribed by your doctor, dispensed by our pharmacy and administered and recorded by the nursing staff. You’re not permitted to keep personal medications or to administer your own drugs unless your doctor orders it. Please send any personal medications home with a family member or friend when you’re admitted. If sending your personal medications home isn’t an option, we’ll need to secure them in our pharmacy onsite.

They’ll be returned to you on discharge. Our focus is to help you get better and we need to work together to achieve that goal.

Fall Prevention

The Yellow Slippers program helps us identify patients who are at risk for falling. If you’re assessed by our health care team as being at risk for falling, we’ll ask you to wear special yellow slippers so that your health care team and all of our staff are aware of your need for assistance to assure your safety.

Additionally, a yellow wrist band indicating fall risk will be placed upon your wrist and a registered nurse will provide you with education regarding your risk status. As part of the “It’s Okay to Ask” program, we encourage you to ask for help any time you need assistance. It’s okay to ask!

Electrical Appliances

For safety reasons, plug-in electrical appliances such as radios, clocks, razors and hair dryers must be inspected before they are used in your room. Please tell a nurse if you have one of these items. Battery-operated appliances are permitted.

Safe Patient Handling

During your hospital stay, you may experience problems with mobility due to weakness or unsteadiness. To assure your safety and the safety of our staff, we may use different devices to aid in your movement. If you have assistive devices that you use at home (such as a walker or cane), please bring them with you to the hospital or have a family member or friend bring them in.

Rapid Response Team

The hospital has a rapid response team comprised of a critical care nurse and a respiratory therapist who are specifically trained to provide additional assistance to the nursing staff in response to a change in the patient’s condition. The rapid response team is available 24 hours a day and can be quickly deployed to assist in the patient’s assessment and to collaborate with the doctor to provide immediate interventions. Patients and families can request the rapid response team by notifying any hospital staff member.

If you’re concerned about a patient or notice a change in the patient’s condition that you feel needs immediate attention, you may request the rapid response team. In a non-emergency situation, any care concerns should be brought to the attention of the patient’s nurse or department manager.