Patient Safety at St. Vincent's Medical Center

Tips for preventing Medical Errors and Staying Safe in the Hospital

Hospitals work hard to deliver safe and high quality care to patients. Even  with safeguards in place,  medical errors can occur. These errors can be minor such as receiving the wrong diet tray, or they can be very serious, such as the cases reported in the news where the wrong part of the body is operated on.

There are things that you as a patient can do to help prevent such errors from happening.  By working together with your physician and with hospital staff, and by being involved in your care, you can help to lower the risk of accidental injuries and improve safety. One of the most important things you can do is to focus on communicating with the staff involved in your care.  The information in this pamphlet will provide you with some tips to help you communicate effectively.

The following includes the Five Tips for Safer Health Care recommended by The American Hospital Association as well as tips from St. Vincent's Medical Center for making your hospital stay safer:

1.  Ask Questions
“Ask questions and make sure you understand the answers.  Choose a doctor you feel comfortable talking to.  Take a relative or friend with you to help you ask questions and understand the answers”

• Share your questions or concerns with your nursing staff, physician staff or any member of the health care team
• Speak up if you are not comfortable with your treatment or if you have doubts or concerns.  Remember, you have the right to ask for a second opinion or to request a transfer to another facility if you feel you are unsafe
• Bring along a patient advocate, a family member or a friend, who can help to speak up for you, ask questions, clarify instructions, or other things that you may need assistance with during this stressful time.  Tell staff which family member or friend can act as your patient advocate
• Double check with nursing and physician staff to be sure that all allergies are well-known and documented in your medical chart Request an interpreter or assistance for the deaf or hearing impaired.
• DO NOT ASSUME THAT CARE PROVIDERS KNOW ALL OF YOUR HEALTH CARE NEEDS OR MEDICAL HISTORY

2.  Keep and Bring a List of ALL the Medicines you take
“Give your doctor and pharmacist a list of all the medicines that you take, including prescription medicines.  Tell them about any drug allergies you have.  Ask about side effects and what to avoid while taking the medicine.  Read the label when you get your medicine.  Including all warnings.  Make sure your medicine is what the doctor ordered and know how to use it.  Ask the pharmacist about your medicine if it looks different than you expect”

• Ask your nurse about your medications – what they are and what they do
• Keep and bring the current list of your medications, including dosages, to all medical/hospital visits
• Let your nurse know if your pills look different than usual or if you feel your medicines are overdue
• Tell your doctor or nurse if you have allergies to medicines, latex, food, etc.
• Do not bring your medicines from home, (unless specifically requested)
• Tell your doctor and nurse about ALL medicines you are currently taking, including herbs and vitamins

3.  Preventing Infection

• Don't be timid!  Remind your nurses, physicians or therapists to wash their hands or wear gloves before examining you or drawing your blood
• Encourage your visitors to use the alcohol-based hand sanitizers conveniently located inside of your room
• Ask friends or relatives who have colds, respiratory symptoms or other contagious illnesses not to visit you while you are in the hospital.  Be especially careful with visits from children under 12 as they frequently have cold or other infections
• Consider taking the flu or pneumonia vaccine if it is offered to you during your stay – they are important in preventing illness in elderly or high-risk patients
• Please let your nurse or nurse assistant know if your linens or dressings are soiled
• Some patients are placed on “isolation precautions” if they are in a weakened state of immunity or to protect others from something infectious the patient is carrying.  If you are placed on “isolation”, please cooperate fully with the isolation precautions and understand what they mean for you and your visitors.  Gown, masks and/or gloves are sometimes required

4.  Fall Prevention

Most falls occur when patients try to get out of bed on their own, most often to go to the bathroom. You can help to prevent falls by remembering the following:

• Don't ever be embarrassed to ask for help!!!  Always ask for assistance from nursing staff or from your nurse assistant, especially at night.  Sometimes people take medications or receive fluids 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
• Keep your call button near you at all times and be sure that you know how to use it
• If you feel weak or uncertain about your ability to walk or get out of bed, ask for a commode to be placed at your bedside
• Make sure there is adequate light to see and keep your glasses within reach
• Wear slippers with rubber soles to prevent slipping.  If possible, bring in your own shoes or slipper as well as any assistive devices that you normally use at home such as your cane, walker, wheelchair, glasses or hearing aide
• If you are a family member of a patient, please talk to our staff if you feel that your presence beyond normally scheduled visiting hours will help to prevent falls and increase the safety of your loved one

5.  Get the Results of any Test or Procedure
“Ask when and how you will get the results of tests or procedures.  Don't assume the results are fine if you do not get them when expected, be it in person, by phone or by mail.  Call your doctor and ask for your results.  Ask what the results mean for your care”

• Write down and ask, any questions about your treatment, test or results that you may have.  You may not remember what you wanted to ask when you are feeling slightly anxious or stressed
• Make sure hospital staff checks your patient ID band or bracelet before any procedure or test and before giving you any medication or blood transfusion, for the correct patient name and medical record number.  Two patients can have the same name, but no two patients can have the same Medical Record Number
• If your ID bracelet comes off, be sure to ask someone to get you another one – you should be wearing your ID bracelet at all times

6.  Talk to your doctor about which hospital is best for your health needs
“Ask your doctor about which hospital has the best care and results for your condition if you have more than one hospital to chose from.  Be sure you understand the instructions you get about follow-up care when you leave the hospital”

Research shows that patients tend to have better results when they are treated in hospitals that have a great deal of experience with their conditions

• When you are being discharged from a hospital, ask your doctor to explain the treatment plan you will use at home.  This includes learning about your medicines and finding out when you can get back to regular activities.  Research shows that at discharge time, doctors think their patients understand more than they really do about what they should and should not do when they return home

7.  Make sure you understand what will happen if you need surgery
Make sure you, your doctor and your surgeon all agree on exactly what will be done during the operation.  Ask your doctor “Who will manage my care when I am in the hospital?”  Ask your surgeon:  “Exactly what will you be doing?” “About how long will it take?” “What will happen after the surgery?” “How can I expect to feel during recovery?”  Tell the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses about any allergies, bad reactions to anesthesia and any medications you are taking

Doing surgery on the wrong site (for example, operating on the left knee instead of the right) is very rare but occasionally reported in the news.  St. Vincent's Medical Center has implemented safety protocols to help prevent wrong-site surgery.  Your participation is important.  Let healthcare workers know that you understand the type of surgery you are about to have and which part of your body is to be operated on.

Other steps you can take

Please remember to continue these safe practices at home.  Remember to:

• Communicate with your physicians and pharmacists – voice your concerns, ask questions and communicate important changes in your health status to your physician
• Understand your medical condition, treatments and medications
• Get appropriate medical equipment at home and be sure you understand how to use it properly

By partnering with your physician and hospital staff, you can help to increase patient safety and prevent unnecessary errors.  The single most important way you can help to prevent errors is to be an active member of your healthcare team! 

For more information on Patient Safety, visit the National Patient Safety Website at: http://www.npsf.org

If at any time you have concerns or issues that you feel you are unable to express, please feel free to call our Director of Patient Relations, at (203) 576-5164 who can assist you with your concerns.