Patient Handbook

Patient Safety

How You Can Help!

Our top priority is promoting safety and preventing injury.

What Can You Do?

The single most important way you can help to prevent errors is to be an active member of your healthcare team. The following are things everyone can do to secure their own safety.

General Safety

• Always Speak Up if you have questions or concerns.
• Make sure all care providers clean their hands prior to providing care to you.
• Know which physician is in charge of your care.
• Make sure all health professionals involved in your care have important healthcare information about you, such as medications, medical history.
• Ask a family member or trusted friend to accompany you, stay with you and speak up for you if you cannot.
• If you have a test, don't assume no news is good news. Request test results!
• Learn about your condition and treatments by asking your doctor, nurse, and other reliable sources.
• If you are hospitalized for care, make sure that when you are discharged, you ask your doctor/care provider to explain the treatment plan you will use at home.
• Plan ahead and coordinate as necessary with your care providers, family and friends to guarantee your safety when receiving medical treatment and after treatment follow-up care. If necessary, adapt your home to minimize the risk for harm.
• Always let your doctor/care provider know if you have questions or concerns.

Medication Safety

• Make sure all doctors know about everything you are taking. This includes prescriptions and "over-the-counter" medications, vitamins and health food supplements.
• Tell your doctor about any allergies and unusual reactions you have had to medicines.
• When your doctor writes you a prescription, make sure you can read it.
• Ask for information about your medicines in terms you can understand from both your doctor and the pharmacist.
• When you pick up your medicine from the pharmacy, ask: "Is this the medicine my doctor prescribed?"
• If you have any questions about directions on your medicine labels, ask your pharmacist.
• Ask your pharmacist about the best way to measure your liquid medicine.
• Ask for written information about the side effects your medicine could cause.

Surgery, Tests and Treatments

• Make sure all care providers confirm who you are prior to providing care.
• Make sure all care providers know what type of surgery, procedure or test you are scheduled for.
• Know why tests or treatments are ordered and understand the associated risks.

Fall Prevention

Certain conditions make us more likely to fall and to suffer other accidental injuries.

Here are a few:

• Taking multiple medications
• Difficulty walking
• Chronic conditions such as arthritis
• Impaired vision or hearing

If you fall frequently, notify your doctor. It is important to know why. Your healthcare team can recommend exercise programs and use of devices to assist you such as walkers and canes.

Some ways to prevent falls are:

• Wear non-skid shoes whenever you walk.
• Walk slowly and carefully.
• Do not lean or support yourself with rolling objects such as rolling chairs.
• Properly use assistive devices such as canes and walkers.
• At home, make sure you remove hazards such as throw rugs and clutter on the floor.

What You Can Do

Be an active member of the healthcare team. Take part in decisions about your healthcare. As a patient you are part of the healthcare team. As part of the team, you share responsibility for your safe care. As much as you trust the knowledge and judgment of your healthcare team, you owe it to yourself and family to learn as much as you can about your condition.

Always "speak up" if you have questions about your healthcare. Direct your questions about your care to any healthcare provider. This will help prevent errors; you will be a more informed healthcare consumer.

Share healthcare information with your healthcare team. Assist your healthcare team by maintaining a diary of your medical history while you are well. For example, make a list of current medical conditions, surgeries, allergies, immunizations, current medications, including "over-the- counter" medications, vitamins and health food supplements.

Ask a family member or trusted friend to accompany you when you talk to the doctor or receive medical instructions such as medication use and treatment procedure details.

If you have questions, write them down to review with your doctor during the next office visit.

Start the Process!

Take a moment and list:

• Allergies
• Current Medications
• Over-the-counter medications
• Vitamins and health food supplements
• Prior Surgical Procedures
• Names of Current Doctors Visited on a Regular Basis