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PATIENT SAFETY As a patient of LifeCare Medical Center, your safety is our top priority. When you or your family member is a patient, you want to be sure you receive the best and safest care possible. Our health care facilities and health care professionals are committed to providing the most excellent care for you and your family. We ask you and your families to join us to make sure that our care meets your needs and encourage you to let us know when it does not. Key Safety Highlights To make your health care visit safe we have many steps in place to assure you receive safe and reliable care: Your safety is central to every aspect within our organization. It is the top priority at all levels including administration, physicians, and staff. • We have a patient safety committee in place to coordinate and guide priorities and use strong communications and teamwork. • We participate in the Leapfrog Group Survey. Leapfrog is coalition of more than 100 public and private organizations that share our commitment to provide the safest healthcare possible. • Our hospital, laboratory, home health and hospice agencies have achieved and maintain Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Heath Care Organizations (JCAHO) accreditation. www.jointcommission.org • We participate in state and national quality measures which are publicly reported. • All physicians and nurses within our organization are board licensed and participate in continuing education. • We have joined the Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety initiative to provide “My Medicine List” to members of our community. We encourage you to pick up a medicine list at your pharmacy, the clinic, or ask for one here at the hospital. Write all of your medications down on the list and keep it current. Bring it along to all of your health care appointments so that we have the information we need to provide the safest care. • We participate in Minnesota Hospital Association’s Safety Calls to Action to provide the most current, evidence based care in preventing adverse healthcare events. • We have begun implementation of an electronic medical record. • We routinely practice and improve emergency preparedness procedures with city, county, state and regional emergency response organizations to respond to natural, accidental and intentional disasters. COMMUNICATION One of LifeCare’s goals is to encourage and support open and honest communication with you, your family, and your health care team. We participate in the Minnesota Hospital Association’s Patient Safety Registry. This provides us with the latest safety information about adverse health events from around the state. It is our policy to be open and honest with you and your family by informing you of the potential results of your care, including unexpected results. What You Can Do to Help Us Ensure Your Safety Everyone has a role in making health care safe – doctors, nurses, technicians, support staff, administration, family members, and especially you!! LifeCare Medical Center has many checks in place to keep you safe and prevent errors with your care, but we also need you to work with us to keep you safe. Research shows that patients and their families who are more involved with their care feel that they are safer, get better results, and are more satisfied. To become an active, involved, and informed member of the health care team, we recommend that you: • Speak up if you have questions or concerns, and if you don’t understand, ask again. Write down any questions about your condition, treatment, or care. It’s your body and you have a right to know. • Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you’re getting the right treatments and medications by the right health care professionals. Don’t assume anything. Encourage hand-washing for yourself, your visitors, and your health care staff. Feel free to ask a caregiver if they have washed their hands before caring for you. • Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan. • Ask a trusted family member or a friend to be your advocate. • Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most common health care mistakes. Bring your My Medicine List to all health care appointments. Ask questions if your medications look different than they did before. • Use a hospital, clinic, or other type of health care organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established, state-of-the art quality and safety standards, such as that provided by the Joint Commission. • Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health care team. If something looks wrong……SPEAK UP! HELPFUL RESOURCES The Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety http://www.mnpatientsafety.org 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20tips.htm 20 Tips to Prevent Medical Errors in Children http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20tipkid.htm Ways You Can Help Your Family Prevent Medical Errors http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/5tipseng/5tips.htm Five Steps to Safer Health Care http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/5steps.htm Institute for Safe Medicine Practice ‘Alerts for Consumers’ http://www.ismp.org/Pages/Consumer.html National Council on Patient Information and Education http://www.talkaboutrx.org National Patient Safety Foundation http://www.npsf.org/ |
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