Patients & Visitors

Safety Information

At Franciscan St. James Health, preventing injury is our top priority. That’s why the single most important way you can help us keep you safe is by becoming an active member of your healthcare team. The following are more specific tips for keeping yourself safe.

General Safety Medication Safety Surgery, Tests and Treatment Infection Prevention

Preventing infection from Visitors Fall Prevention What You Can Do to Stay Safe Fire Drills

General Safety

• Always speak up if you have questions or concerns.
• Make sure your healthcare providers clean their hands prior to providing care.
• Know which physician is in charge of your care.
• Make sure all healthcare providers have important information about you, such as your current medications and medical history.
• Ask a family member or trusted friend to accompany you, stay with you and speak up for you if you cannot.
• If you’ve had a test, don’t assume no news is good news. Request test results!
• Learn about your condition and treatments by asking your doctor, nurse and other reliable sources.
• Make sure that when you are discharged your doctor or healthcare provider explains your treatment plan at home.
• Plan for going home by coordinating with your healthcare providers, family and friends about at-home medical treatment and follow-up care. If necessary, adapt your home to minimize your risk for harm.
• Always let your doctor/healthcare provider know if you have questions or concerns.

Medication Safety

• Make sure all doctors know what you are currently taking. This includes prescriptions, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, vitamins and health food supplements.
• Tell your doctor about any allergies and unusual reactions you’ve had to medicines.
• When your doctor writes you a prescription, make sure you can read it.
• Ask your doctor and pharmacist for information about your medicines in terms you can understand.
• When you pick up your medicine from the pharmacy, ask: “Is this the medicine my doctor prescribed?”
• If you have any questions about directions on your medicine labels, ask your pharmacist.
• Ask your pharmacist about the best way to measure your liquid medicine.
• Ask for written information about side effects.

Surgery, Tests and Treatments

• Make sure all healthcare providers confirm your identity prior to providing care.
• Make sure all healthcare providers know what type of surgery, procedure or test you are scheduled for.
• Know why tests or treatments are ordered, and ask about the risks involved.

Infection Prevention

• Ask all healthcare providers who have direct contact with you whether they have washed their hands. Hand hygiene is the single most important way to prevent the spread of infections. Most infections can be prevented by hand washing or using a hand sanitizer.
• Healthcare providers should wear clean gloves when they perform tasks such as taking blood samples, touching wounds and examining your mouth or private parts. Don’t be afraid to ask them to wear gloves.
• Wash your hands before eating and after using the bathroom.

Preventing Infection from Visitors

• Persons should not visit if they are not feeling well, vomiting, are sick with fever, cold, cough, rash, body aches, sore throat, diarrhea or flu.
• Visitors are encouraged to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after visiting.
• Visitors should avoid sitting on your bed and using your toilet.

Fall Prevention

You are more likely to fall or suffer other accidental injuries if one or more of the following apply to your condition:

• Taking multiple medications
• Have difficulty walking
• Have a chronic condition, such as arthritis
• Have impaired vision or hearing

If you fall frequently, notify your doctor. It is important to know why. Your healthcare team can recommend exercise programs and the use of devices, such as walkers and canes, to assist you. Some ways to prevent falls:

• Wear non-skid shoes whenever you walk
• Walk slowly and carefully
• Do not lean on or support yourself with objects that roll, such as rolling chairs
• Use assistive devices properly, such as canes and walkers
• Remove hazards at home, such as throw rugs and clutter on the floor
• Do not raise or lower your bed rails without nursing assistance
• Wear bedroom slippers when walking
• Call your nurse if you need help getting in or out of bed

What you can do to Stay Safe

Be an active member of your healthcare team. As a patient, you should consider yourself part of the team. That means taking part in decisions about your healthcare and sharing responsibility for your safety. As much as you trust the knowledge and judgment of your healthcare providers, you owe it to yourself and your family to learn as much as you can about your condition.

Always speak up if you have questions about your healthcare. Direct your questions to any healthcare provider. This will help prevent errors, and you will become a more informed healthcare consumer. If you have questions, write them down to review with your doctor during your next office visit.

Share healthcare information with your healthcare team. Assist your team by maintaining a diary of your medical history while you are well. For example, make a list of current medical conditions, surgeries, allergies, immunizations and current medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) medications, vitamins and health food supplements.

Ask a family member or trusted friend to accompany you. If you cannot speak up for yourself, allow a trusted companion to become your advocate. Allow them to ask questions and share information when you’re with your doctor or receiving important instructions about medication use and treatment.

Fire Drills

Periodic fire drills are held to test staff preparedness. Do not become alarmed if one takes place in your unit.