PHOTO COURTESY OF GSHCS
At Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS), patient safety is something that is taken very seriously. In fact, GSHCS regularly measures clinical outcomes for each patient that has an overnight stay. These measures are then reported to outside agencies who measure GSHCS safety performance against all other hospitals nationally to determine how well it is performing.
With that in mind GHSCS wants the community to be aware of Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 13-19.
Patient Safety Awareness Week is dedicated to growing community awareness about patient safety and reducing harm to patients. The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) reports that, on average in the United States, one in 10 patients develops a health care acquired condition during hospitalization, while medical errors account for 44,000 to 98,000 deaths per year. Through the work of the NPSF and their United for Patient Safety campaigns, since 2011 -2013 it is estimated that hospital-acquired conditions were reduced by 1.3 million.
According to GSHCS Director of Quality Becky Schwartz, making sure the community is educated about quality is very important.
“It helps us set expectations and allows us to share how and why we are doing what we are doing to the patient when they are with us,” she said. “On a regular basis we are measured on the quality of the care we provide for our patients. Our quality is something we take very seriously – doctors, nurses, administration – all are working toward the same goal, making sure our caregivers have the education and tools to provide the best quality possible.
“Quality, commonly referred to as “core measures”, are indicators that include how well we do at preventing infections, flu and pneumonia, preventing complications, how long it takes to be seen in the emergency room, and the overall patient experience. Our safety information is all available to the public at the Oregon Hospital Guide website, where you are able to view our data and compare it with other hospitals. This is something I encourage our community to do.”
Added Theresa Brock, vice president of nursing at GSHCS:
“I encourage you to remember to ask questions if you are staying in the hospital, and partner with us as we provide your care, after all at the heart of these metrics is you, and that is who we really care about.”
For more information about National Patient Safety Awareness Week, go online.
