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Patient Safety Initiatives
Ensuring patient safety is a fundamental element of high quality healthcare. At Halton Healthcare Services (HHS), providing safe, quality healthcare to our patients is not only a top priority, but a value that we uphold every day. The safety of our patients is associated with and linked to every healthcare priority and every activity we do.
Our patients are at the centre of our care. We participate in and have implemented a number of innovative safety initiatives. The patient and their family are valued members of the healthcare team. We welcome and promote conversations between our patients and staff and aim to involve everyone in patient care and in our quest to create a safer healthcare environment.
If you wish to learn more about patient safety programs at our hospitals, please read the information below on some of our initiatives.
Delirium
Falls Prevention
Hand Hygiene
Patient Safety Expo
Positive Patient Identification
Pressure Ulcer Prevention
Safer Healthcare Now
Safety Champions
Safety Huddles
Your Healthcare Be Involved
For additional information on a particular topic, please click on the subject title.
Delirium
Delirium is a common and serious medical condition that is characterized by a quick change in mental functioning. Delirium is different from dementia, but they often occur together. The symptoms of delirium can change throughout the day and can last from days to week. With treatment most people do return to their usual selves, however, some may not respond to treatment for some time.
In 2007, an Interprofessional project team was established at HHS with the aim to enhance patient safety by preventing and reducing the prevalence of delirium in high risk older patients hospitalized at our facilities so that their cognitive and physical function is maintained throughout and outcomes improved.
Falls Prevention
HHS is actively involved in enhancing our Falls/Safe Mobility program at all 3 sites. We know from published studies in healthcare that many people are at risk for falling when hospitalized for a wide variety of reasons. Some of the changes being implemented at HHS include:
Methods of identifying patients who are especially at risk for falling.
Simple but effective methods of alerting the care team when someone is at risk for falling.
Standardizing a number of universal ‘safety precautions’ (e.g. requiring use of non-slip footwear, bed placed in lowest position, actively working with patients and families in customizing strategies)
Hand Hygiene
It's in your hands!
At HHS hand hygiene is one of our top patient safety initiatives. In Fall 2011, HHS launched a campaign to increase hand hygiene at our community hospitals with a message to say, “The Bugs Stop Here…Pump it up!”
Hand washing is your best defence against infection. The best way to stop the spread of germs at work, home or in the hospital is for you, your visitors and your care providers to practice good hand hygiene. Good hand hygiene means washing your hands with soap and water or using a waterless, alcohol-based hand gel or foam product to clean your hands. We encourage everyone to wash their hands thoroughly at our convenient hand washing stations as they enter and exit our hospitals.
Just Clean Your Hands
Patient Safety Expo
In Celebration of National Patient Safety Week - Knowledge is the Best Medicine: Ask. Talk. Listen - Halton Healthcare Services Patient Safety will be hosting its second annual Patient Safety Expo. The goal of the Patient Safety Expo is to share and communicate patient safety initiatives with colleagues across our hospitals, showcase important safety practices and new initiatives, raise awareness of patient safety issues, and recognize and celebrate staff achievements.
Download the 2011 Booklet.
Download the 2010 Booklet.
Download the 2009 Booklet.
Download the 2008 Booklet.
Positive Patient Identification (PPID)
The HHS Laboratory was the first in Canada to pilot a new electronic patient identification system called Mobilab by Iatric Systems. This positive patient identification (PPID) and labelling system improves patient safety by reducing patient and specimen identification errors.
Pressure Ulcer Prevention
Pressure ulcers are a change or break in the skin caused by
constant pressure - usually over a bony area such as a tailbone or heel. Pressure ulcers can
become a serious problem depending on damage to the skin and how deep the wound
stretches down to the underlying bone.
Safer Healthcare Now!
HHS is a registered participant in the Safer Healthcare Now initiative which is a collaborative effort aimed at reducing the number of injuries and deaths related to adverse effects, such as infections and medication incidents. Over 267 organizations and 994 teams are registered.
Halton Healthcare Services has implemented eight interventions associated with this initiative.
Find out more about Safer Healthcare Now!
Safety Champions
In order to ensure that all safety concerns and success at the front-line are shared within each hospital department and across the organization, Halton Healthcare Services has introduced the role of Safety Champions. Each department and patient care unit has identified one or two Safety Champions who work collaboratively alongside their colleagues and managers as safety ambassadors.
Safety Huddles
In 2007, HHS identified Safety Huddles as a key initiative to increase open, non-punitive communication among interdisciplinary teams, heighten safety awareness among front line staff, and identify and find solutions for staff and patient safety issues and concerns. Safety Huddles are an opportunity for all staff on a unit to meet briefly to discuss and tackle prevalent safety issues in their work area. The Huddles have had considerable appeal because they are short, focused and frequent.
Your Healthcare Be Involved
This initiative, developed by the Ontario Hospital Association, provides patients with five tips to engage and encourage them to be more involved in their healthcare. The initiative is guided by the concept of patient empowerment and on the important role patients can play at each stage in their care. To access the OHA's brochure in multiple languages please click here.
Download the Patient Summary Form
Download the Booklet
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