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Patient Safety
St. Anthony's is proud of its efforts to improve patient safety and we encourage patients and visitors to participate with their health care providers when seeking treatment.
How You Can Help
Communication
Communication is the most important aid to patient safety. By talking regularly with the people who are caring for you, you can clear up a misunderstanding before it creates a problem. For example, maybe you are allergic to something and it isn't written down in your medical record.
- Ask questions if you are not sure why something is being done or if you are just plain curious.
- If you have questions or concerns about your care or safety, talk with your nurse, the unit's patient services manager or your physician. If you still have concerns, call the hospital's Patient Relations or ombudsman program.
- Ask for a second opinion or even a transfer to another hospital if you do not feel safe.
- Ask for an interpreter if you are deaf or hearing impaired, or if English is not your primary language.
- Don't be afraid to challenge and be assertive. A confident caregiver will appreciate and understand your need to know.
- Bring a family member or friend who knows your medical history and who can also ask questions. This can help to ensure the best care possible. Family members often provide the comfort and support needed to promote your return to good health.
- Know who is in charge of your care, such as your personal doctor. This is especially important in a hospital or in case of a complex illness. Ask if your primary physician will be at the hospital.
- In today’s hospitals, there are many people who provide care. Although we encourage members of our staff to display their names and titles prominently on their clothing, sometimes it can be difficult for the patient to tell who is who. Any time you are not clear about the identity of someone providing care, please ask.
- When you go home, make sure you are clear about discharge instructions including medications and need for a follow-up visit. Be sure you are given a phone number to call if you have questions.
Infection
Germs and bacteria exist at home, at work and in hospitals. All hospitals work hard to prevent you from getting an infection while you are in the hospital. How can you help?
- Remind your nurses, physicians or therapists to wash their hands or wear gloves before examining you or giving you your medicine.
- Ask friends or relatives who have colds, respiratory symptoms or other contagious illnesses not to visit you or anyone in the hospital. Minimize visits from children under 12, as they frequently have colds or other infections. St. Anthony's education program, "Protect Our Patients," helps visitors learn about the steps they must take to prevent the spread of infection.
- Flu or pneumonia vaccines can help prevent illnesses in elderly or high-risk patients. Please get a vaccination if it is recommended in the hospital.
- Let your nurse know if gowns and linens are soiled.
- Some patients are on "isolation precautions," usually for protection if they are in a weakened state or to protect others from something infectious the patient is carrying. If you are on "isolation," understand what your isolation means and what you should expect from the hospital staff or visitors. Gloves, gowns and masks are sometimes appropriate, depending on the illness.
Medication
In the past decade, the number of new medications has risen dramatically. Use of a computerized physician ordering medication system, is regarded as one of the most significant steps in reducing medication errors. How can you help to further reduce the potential for problems?
- Ask your nurse about your medications - what they are, what they do, when they are given and their side effects. Become familiar with their color and size. Let your nurse know if they are overdue or look different.
- Make sure your doctor or nurse knows if you have any allergies or previous reactions to drugs, food, latex, etc.
- Do not bring medications from home, unless requested by your doctor or hospital staff.
- Make sure to tell your doctor and nurse about other drugs you are taking (even vitamins, herbal remedies or over-the-counter medicine)
- Ask the doctor or pharmacist about the medicine. What is the name, benefits, and possible side effects or reactions with other medications or food/beverages?
- Make sure you know the name and color of the medicine. Take medicine in well-lit areas.
- Make sure you know why the medicine is being taken.
- Ask the doctor or pharmacist to explain how to take the medicine and how often it should be taken.
- Report problems. Report any unusual symptoms to your nurse right away. Your health care team will determine if what you are experiencing may be related to a medication.
- Check the information on your hospital I.D. bracelet to make sure your name and medical record number are on it and keep it on at all times.
Falls
Most falls occur when patients try to get out of bed on their own, most often to go to the bathroom. Don't ever be embarrassed to ask for help. How can you help prevent falls?
- Don't feel like a burden if you need to ask for help frequently. Sometimes people take mediations that cause them to use the bathroom more often than they normally would. This can't be avoided and should never be a cause for embarrassment. If possible, call for help before the need to get up and move becomes urgent.
- Please remember, during illness, you may be weaker than you think. This is especially true if you have had surgery or another invasive procedure, or if you are receiving a new treatment. It is very important that you have help the first time you get out of bed following an operation or procedure.
- Always ask for assistance from the nursing staff, especially at night.
- Keep your call button near you.
- Make sure there is adequate light to see, and keep your eyeglasses within reach.
- Wear slippers with rubber soles to prevent slipping.
- Point out any fluids or obstructions on the floor to anyone involved in your care.
Equipment & Treatment
Well-informed patients can assist doctors, nurses and other hospital workers in avoiding mistakes. How can you help prevent or minimize errors caused by equipment during treatment?
- Find out what you should expect from any equipment being used on or around you. How it is supposed to sound or act, what it is supposed to do for you? This way you can question anything that seems unusual or different from what you were told.
- Ask a family member or friend to listen with you when staff explains a diagnosis, treatment plan, test results or discharge plans. It is hard to take everything in when you are scared or have been given too much information in a short time.
- Make sure the brakes are locked when getting into or out of a wheelchair.
- Make sure all staff checks your hospital I.D. bracelet before any procedure or test. If your bracelet comes off, ask someone to get you another one.
- Write down questions that you want to ask the staff about your procedure, treatment and medications when the question comes into you head. You may not remember what you wanted to ask when lots of things are going on if you haven't written it down.
- It is up to you to learn as much as you can about the care and treatment. The most important way you can help to prevent medical errors is to be an active and informed member of the health care team. This means taking part in every health care decision.
- Prior to surgery, talk to the physician and nurse about any concerns.
- Make sure that you, the doctor and surgeon all agree and are clear on exactly what is going to be done.
- Make sure the body area to be operated on is clearly marked
- Do not adjust side rails or soft restraints. If the side rails on the bed are up, or if a soft restraint is in use, it is because the staff feel the you are at risk for injury. Visitors should never remove these safety devices without talking with the nurse.
Other Tips
- Choose a hospital that does a high volume of the procedure or surgery for which you are admitted, as patients tend to do better at experienced hospitals.
- Pay careful attention to where you put your dentures, hearing aids and glasses-they are all important to your safety and they are the most commonly lost items in hospitals. Put them in a special container with your name on it, if possible.
- Make sure the nurse call-button on your bed works and you know how to use it. Know the hospital's internal emergency telephone number.
- Do not bring in food or medications, even over-the counter ones from outside the hospital unless approved by your nurse or physician.
Safety at Home
Even after you have had a safe hospital experience, continue your awareness of safe health care practices at home.
- Communicate with your doctors or druggists. Ask questions, and write down what they say.
- You can get bed side-rails at home if you need them. Keep a phone or a bell near your bed if you might need help. Never smoke in bed.
- Be extraordinarily cautious if you have oxygen equipment at home. It is highly flammable.
- If you have medical equipment that needs to be plugged in, use a grounded or three-prong connector. Don't use extension cords.
Learn More
St. Anthony's is proud to present a short educational video about patient safety, called "Emmi Safety," to help patients learn what they can do to increase their safety in the hospital and when they get home. Emmi Safety is a joint initiative of the ASHRM Foundation, the American Hospital Association, HRET, and Rightfield Solutions.
For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit our find a physician online.
At St. Anthony's, our vision is to be the area's premier health care organization — and your first choice for health care services.