Quality Care and Patient Safety

Halton Healthcare is constantly implementing quality and safety initiatives to improve patient experience. We continually monitor our services to provide our communities with access to safe, quality care in a patient and family focused environment.

Your Health Care–Be Involved was an initiative launched by the Ontario Hospital Association. The initiative is guided by the concept of patient empowerment and on the important role patients can play at each stage in their care.

If you have a compliment or concern about the care you have recently received or are currently experiencing at one of our hospitals we encourage you to contact Patient Relations.

Patient Safety Initiatives

If you wish to learn more about patient safety programs at our hospitals, please ask a member of your healthcare team or contact the Quality and Patient Relations department. Some of our safety initiatives include the following:

Hand Hygiene - Care Begins with Clean Hands

Hand washing is your best defence against infection. 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.

Medication Safety

We implement the latest medication dispensing, storage and retrieval technology available ensuring that the right patient is getting the right dose of the right medication and that the process is properly documented. You can do your part and;

• Make sure you always keep an accurate list of the medications you take at home and bring to hospital (In the downloads section, we offer a printable medication list)
• Understand what your medications are for–talk to your community pharmacist for information
• Let us know if you have any allergies to medications and what your previous reaction has been

Pressure Injury Prevention

Pressure injuries are a change or break in the skin caused by constant pressure, usually over a bony area such as a tailbone or heel. These mostly preventable wounds can represent a significant burden to our patients, their families and the healthcare system including extending length of stay. When admitted to the hospital, the first step in pressure injury prevention is a standardized assessment of the person’s risk as well as a hands-on assessment of the person’s skin. These assessments allow our healthcare team to develop a patient-specific plan of care to prevent the development or worsening of pressure injuries.

Pressure injury prevention and management requires a multi-modal approach with an interprofessional team including Nurses, Doctors, Dietitians, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, and of course the patient and family. Please watch our short video about Pressure Injury Prevention.

Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)

Venous Thromboembolism or VTE refers to clots in the blood that can develop in the deep veins of the legs (called deep vein thrombosis or DVT) or in the lungs (called Pulmonary Embolism). Many hospitalized patients such as those undergoing major surgery, have a significantly increased risk of developing blood clots. Please see the VTE document in the related downloads for more information.

Falls Prevention

Did you know? Falls are a leading cause of injury in older adults. 

Falls prevention strategies help to minimize patient injuries from falls and help to provide a safer environment for our patients. Engaging patients and families in falls prevention strategies has been proven to reduce falls in inpatient areas. 

Here is what you can do to help prevent a fall:

• Call for help when you need to get up
• Keep any walking aids / devices within reach
• Turn on a light
• Wear well fitting, flat shoes with a non-slip sole

At Halton Healthcare, prioritizing falls prevention and management is a priority. We use a multiprong approach to keeping patients safe.

Delirium

Delirium is a temporary state of confusion in which the mind becomes clouded, making it difficult to focus on one’s attention. Delirium develops quickly over hours or days and may last hours, days or longer. Although they can occur together, delirium is not the same as dementia, which is progressive and nonreversible. Delirium is a common, serious problem for older adult patients, and can slow the healing/recovery process, as well as put them at risk for an injury or fall. Delirium requires immediate treatment and is often preventable.