Safety in the Hospital

Safety in the Hospital – Tips and Instructions

When you stay in the hospital, your health care providers take many precautions to keep you safe from infection, medical errors, falls, and other hazards. Ask about your hospital’s safety procedures, and find out what you can do while you are there to keep yourself safe.

What are some ways that the hospital keeps me safe?

Your health care team takes many steps to keep you safe. These include:

  • Washing their hands regularly to prevent infection.
  • Disinfecting equipment and surfaces regularly.
  • Confirming your identification. You may be asked your name and birth date often throughout your stay. You may also be given an identification bracelet to wear on your wrist.
  • Having you mark the surgical site and review a consent form to confirm the details of your procedure to prevent surgical error.
  • Reviewing the medicines you are taking to prevent drug interactions and reactions.
  • Making a call light available to alert health care providers when you need something.
  • Making sure that you know when to call for help.
  • Preventing falls by making sure that:
    • You are checked on often.
    • You are assisted to the bathroom if needed.
    • Your hospital room is well-lit.
    • You have nonslip socks that fit properly.
    • The floor is clean, dry, and free of clutter.
  • Using equipment with alarms that notify staff when the equipment is not working correctly.
  • Clear communication when staff who care for you change shifts.
  • Talking with you about your medicines and procedures in language that is clear and easy to understand.
  • Giving you written health care information when you are discharged about your home care and medicines.

How can I participate in hospital safety?

You can help to keep yourself safe in the hospital by:

  • Choosing a hospital that is licensed, accredited, and has a good safety record.
  • Making sure that you know when to call for help.
  • Calling out for help if no one responds to your call light.
  • Letting someone know if your IV fluids stop dripping or an equipment alarm goes off.
  • Asking your health care providers questions about:
    • Your care and treatment.
    • Anything you do not understand.
    • Hand washing. Every time your health care providers are going to examine you, give you treatments, or give you medicines, ask whether they have washed their hands.
    • How to care for yourself at home, and who to call if you have questions.
    • How to prevent blood clots.
    • Your medicines and how to take them.
    • How your wounds or surgical incision sites will be cared for to prevent infections.
    • Whether a catheter is necessary before having one placed.
    • Staying up to date with all necessary vaccinations.

How can my friends and family participate in hospital safety?

Friends and family can help you stay safe in the hospital by:

  • Spending as much time with you in the hospital as possible.
  • Being present while you meet with your health care provider.
  • Reviewing the hospital’s safety procedures and making sure that health care providers follow them.
  • Learning the care instructions for discharge and making sure that you follow them.
  • Helping you understand your medicines and helping you to take them after discharge.
  • Asking questions about anything that you do not understand.

Summary

  • Infection, medical errors, and falls are all possible hazards of staying in the hospital.
  • Your health care providers should follow patient safety procedures to protect you from these problems.
  • You can make sure that health care providers follow the necessary steps to keep you safe.
  • Ask questions and make sure that you understand your discharge instructions, including how to take your medicines.
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