Patient Safety

What is Patient Safety and why is it important to you? Patient safety focuses on avoiding, preventing, and decreasing the impact of adverse outcomes or injuries stemming from medical errors. Nearly 50 percent of The Joint Commission standards are directly related to Patient Safety. As part of our ongoing commitment to you, SCCA has made Patient Safety our first priority.

What Can You Do to Stay Safe?

The following tips were taken from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality “20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors”:

• The single most important way you can help prevent errors is to be an active member of your health care team
• Make sure that all of your doctors know about everything that you are taking. This includes prescription and over the counter medicines, and dietary supplements such as vitamins and herbs.
• Speak up if you have questions or concerns (you have the right to question anyone who is involved in your care)
• Ask a family member or friend to be there with you to be your advocate (someone who can help get things done and speak up if you can’t)
• If you have a test, don’t assume that no news is good news (ask about the results)
• Ask all healthcare workers who have direct contact with you whether or not they washed their hands

Quality and Patient Safety

Quality of care is related to Patient Safety, but the two concepts are not the same. SCCA is committed to improve the quality and safety of care we provide you. Click here for more information on the SCCA Quality Program.

Patient Safety Helpful Resources and Links

If you are looking for more information on Patient Safety, click here for links to other resources.

 

Last Updated: May 2007