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Patient Safety – You’re your best expert
Everyone at Ross Memorial Hospital is committed to providing the best care we can in a safe manner. We work together as a team and you are an important member of that team.
The hospital has a Patient Safety program in place to identify risks to our patients and then act on them. We encourage you and your family to do the same. Talk to your health care team about what risks could affect you, and learn how to avoid them. Our health care providers are open to your questions and concerns about your care.
Three Big Risks to Safety
Three of the most common risks for patients involve medicines, falls and infections.
You can help lower your risk by following these tips:
Medicines
- Tell your health care provider about any allergies or bad reactions to medicines you may have had
- Know what medicines you are on (name, strength, and how often) and why (include non-prescription medicines such as Tylenol, vitamins or herbal products)
- Make sure your health care provider identifies you correctly before giving you any medicine
- Ask what the medicine is and its purpose
- Ask questions if the medicine looks different
- Ask for a list of all the medicines you are supposed to be on when you’re discharged
- Talk about any questions or concerns about your medicine (how to know if it’s working, side effects, how long you’ll take it)
- While in hospital, don’t take medicine you brought from home until it’s approved by your doctor
Falls
- Make sure you can reach the call bell if you are in your bed, a chair, or the bathroom, should you need to ring for help
- Make sure you ask for help if you need it to use the bathroom or sit/stand up
- Wear slippers with non-skid soles that fit properly
- Some medicines can make you sleepy or dizzy — know how they affect you
- Make sure staff use a transfer belt, placed securely around your waist, to help you up and for walking
Infections
- Proper hand-washing is the best way to prevent infections
- Make sure you, your family members and visitors all wash your hands before entering and leaving your room
- Ask your health care providers if they have washed their hands before providing your care
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and dispose of it in the garbage, then immediately wash your hands
- If you have a prescription for antibiotics, finish all of it, even if you’re feeling better
Be S.A.F.E. at RMH
Your safety while a patient at our hospital is very important to us. You and your family can help to ensure a safe environment. We encourage you to:
- Call for help – don’t fall
- Walk safely – use proper footwear and walking aids
- Ask questions – ask about your treatments
- Wash your hands
Understanding Isolation Fact Sheet
Measuring our Patient Safety Performance
To help ensure that we’re the best care, as safely and efficiently as possible, we measure our progress and compare our work to that of other hospitals. This way, we can identify both our strengths and our areas for improvement.
This section of our website is dedicated to providing you with information that will help you to understand how our performance is measured and how we continue to strive for excellence. It highlights our patient safety initiatives and how you can play an important role in your own safety while you're a patient or visiting.
| C.difficile |
CDifficile Fact Sheet |
CDifficile Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Ventilator Associated Pneumonioa (VAP) |
VAP Fact Sheet |
VAP Chart |
| Hand Hygiene |
Hand Hygiene Fact Sheet |
Hand Hygiene Chart |
| Central Line Infection (CLI) |
CLI Fact Sheet |
CLI Chart |
| Surgical Site Infection (SSI) |
SSI Fact Sheet |
SSI Chart |
| Surgical Safety Checklist (SSCL) |
SSCL Fact Sheet |
SSCL Chart |
| Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci (VRE) |
VRE Fact Sheet |
VRE Chart |
| Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) |
MRSA Fact Sheet |
MRSA Chart |
At the Ross Memorial, we also pay close attention to our patients’ access to care. We measure access to care by tracking patient wait times.
- ER Waits (low, high and admitted)
- Surgical Waits (hip & knee)
- For more wait times information, visit the Ministry of Health & Long Term Care website.
We want you, your family and visitors to have a positive experience while at the Ross Memorial Hospital. To ensure we’re achieving this goal, we measure our patients’ satisfaction.
In order to ensure our patients are getting the care they need when and where they need it, we work in close partnership with other community services. By integrating our programs, we can better serve our patients’ needs.
- Our partners (to a list of links: Central East LHIN, CKL, MoH, KLHCI, Community Health Services, Professional Associations)
- ALC Rate