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Patient Safety

Safety

Providing for your safety is one of Adventist Health and Rideout’s core values. Patients can expect state-of-the art medical services, highly specialized healthcare professionals, and quality care. Adventist Health and Rideout works continuously to develop patient safety systems and apply them across our continuum of care. Those safety measures include: double checking patient identification before giving medications or beginning a procedure; reducing the rate of infections; ensuring that surgical procedures are as safe as possible; and involving patients and their family members in every aspect of their care. These programs save lives. Adventist Health and Rideout also participates in national programs designed to increase patient safety and improve patient outcomes. Adventist Health and Rideout is certified by The Joint Commission, an accreditation organization recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality and state-of-the-art, performance-based standards.

Patient Valuables

While you are a patient at Adventist Health and Rideout, you will be provided with a hospital gown. You may bring in your basic toiletries; pajamas, a robe and slippers may be needed during your hospital stay. You may be asked to remove your jewelry for certain procedures or you may need to leave your room for diagnostic tests. We recommend that you send all personal valuables home with a family member. Unless personal valuables are placed in safekeeping they can be lost or misplaced.

Eyeglasses, dentures and hearing aids are an important part of your life. These items require special care. Please tell your nurse that you use these, and you will be provided a container upon request. Take care not to leave any of these items on your meal tray or lying on your bed, as they may be inadvertently disposed of or lost. These items are considered “personal belongings,” and the hospital is not responsible for the loss of your personal belongings.

Smoking

Because Adventist Health and Rideout is committed to the health and wellness of our patients, visitors, physicians and staff, Adventist Health and Rideout has a smoke-free policy. Smoking is not permitted on any of the Adventist Health and Rideout campuses. You shall be made aware of this policy upon admission to Adventist Health and Rideout. At your request, Adventist Health and Rideout staff will contact your admitting physician to request appropriate tobacco replacement therapy or cessation resources for the patient.

Medication Safety

As part of your treatment at Adventist Health and Rideout certain medications may be prescribed to you by your doctor. The hospital pharmacy is responsible for dispensing these medications, but your nurse will be administering them to you. It is important for you to understand what medication is being given to you. Your nurse will explain what each medication is by name, the type of medication, the reason for the medication, the dosage, and how often you will be given the medication.

For your protection, the hospital and medical staff require that medicines prescribed by your doctor be dispensed from the hospital pharmacy. If you have brought medications from home, we request that you send them home or give them to your nurse, to be securely stored in the Pharmacy. You will be asked to provide a list of your medications to your caregiver. Please ask your doctor or nurse if you have any questions about medications. Make sure your nurse or physician confirms your identity by asking your name and date of birth before he or she administers any medication or treatment.

If anticoagulated medications are prescribed, you and your family will be given information on the importance of monitoring, compliance, drug-food interactions, and any drug reactions and interactions to watch. When you are discharged, education will be provided to you for any medications you will continue to take.

Falls - Don’t Fall

Your safety is very important to us. By following these safety steps, you, your family, and your friends can help us to reduce your risk of a fall.

  • Always follow your healthcare team’s instructions about whether you should stay in bed or need help to go to the bathroom.
  • Use your call button to ask for help when you need to get out of bed or cannot reach something that you need. Someone will respond as soon as possible. Wait for them.
  • Remain lying or seated while waiting for assistance. Please be patient. Someone will answer your call as promptly as possible.
  • When you get out of bed, sit on the side of the bed briefly before you stand up.
  • Wear non-skid slipper socks whenever you walk in the hospital. If you don’t have any, ask your nurse.
  • Be sure to use your walker, cane or wheelchair if you have any of these.
  • Use the handrail while in the bathroom.
  • Be sure to tell us about any dizziness, weakness, balance, or vision problems. If you must get up without waiting for help, sit in bed for a while before standing. Then rise carefully and begin to walk slowly.
  • Do not lean on your bedside table or IV pole. They are on wheels and may roll.
  • Please let your healthcare team know as soon as possible about any spills or dangerous conditions.
  • Do not tamper with bedside rails that may be in use. Two upper side rails are usually placed in the upright position for safety purposes. You may use these rails as a grab bar for turning in bed. Remember this bed may be narrower than the bed you normally sleep in at home.
  • Do not use any furniture to assist yourself.
  • New medicines may have side effects. If you notice any symptoms after taking a medicine for the first time, tell your nurse.

A Special Note for Family and Friends

While you are visiting with the patient, please help us by ensuring that there are no fall risks present:

  • While you visit and before you go, leave a light on in the bathroom, and make sure the floor is free from clutter.
  • Before you leave, place necessary items within the patient’s reach. These may include phone, tissue, water, and the call button.
  • Companionship may lower the risk of a fall. Ask the healthcare team when your loved one may find your company most comforting.

Rapid Response Team Program

The Rapid Response Team program provides a hotline for doctors, nurses, patients or family members to call for immediate help when they feel that a change in a patient’s condition needs immediate attention, or the patient’s condition is getting worse, or if there is concern about the care the patient is receiving and the healthcare team is not recognizing your concern(s). To initiate a Rapid Response Team response, just dial 7500 from any hospital phone and the operator will ask for: your identification, patient’s name and the patient’s room number or location and then will announce the Rapid Response Team response.

Service Animals

Patients and visitors with disabilities are entitled to be accompanied by their service animals when they are either admitted to or visit hospitals, outpatient areas, or clinics. Service Animals are permitted in any area of Adventist Health and Rideout except the Operating Room, Labor and Delivery area, Nursery, and Isolation rooms. All Service Animals must have a “leash-like” device in use and must be controlled by the handler at all times while in the facility.

Public Safety

Adventist Health and Rideout has a 24-hour Safety and Security Department to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff both inside and outside our facilities. Security officers are available around the clock to escort patients and visitors to parking lots.

To contact a Public Safety officer, call (530) 749-4640 at Adventist Health and Rideout.

The safety and security of our patients, staff and physicians, as well as our facilities, is our fundamental obligation. This is why we have instituted increased safety measures for everyone’s protection. One of the measures we have taken includes asking all persons not employed by the hospital to use the main entrances.

Fire / Safety / Disaster Drills

Our hospital has a safe and effective fire safety program, and we are required to frequently perform fire drills. If you hear a fire alarm, do not panic. If a concern arises over your safety, hospital staff will evacuate you to a safe place. We have posted fire escape routes on the walls of our facilities to help with evacuation when necessary. These are located near elevators. Please remain calm in the event of an emergency and listen for directions from hospital staff.

Pneumonia and Influenza Vaccine

Pneumococcal pneumonia is to blame for up to 40,000 deaths each year in the U.S. Influenza kills up to 36,000 people each year. A vaccine can help prevent both of these diseases. Your nurse will ask you if you have received either of these vaccines.

Additional Safety Tips

Expect your healthcare professionals to introduce themselves when they enter your room. Look for their identification badges. A new mother, for example, should know the person to whom she is handing her baby. All healthcare professionals in the obstetrics unit at Adventist Health and Rideout wear PINK identification badges.

Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan. Write down important facts your physician tells you, so that you can look for additional information later. Ask your physician if he or she has any written information you can keep.

Make sure you are familiar with the operation of any equipment that is being used in your care. If you will be using oxygen at home, do not smoke or allow anyone to smoke near you while oxygen is in use. Adventist Health and Rideout has a no-smoking policy on all of our campuses.

Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate during your hospitalization. He or she can ask questions you may not think of while you are under stress. Consider executing a durable power of attorney so your preferences for care and your wishes concerning your health care are understood.

Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the healthcare team. You and your physician should agree on exactly what will be done during each step of your care.

Improving Patient Safety for the Future

All of the members of the Adventist Health and Rideout team, administrators, physicians, and staff are constantly working together to make our facilities the safest place for patients. If you have questions about the information presented in this brochure or want to know more about how to be a partner in your safe care, talk to your physician or a member of your care team.