Published: July 28, 2009 01:30 pm      

New initiatives aimed at keeping patients safe at Floyd Memorial Hospital

Providing quality medical care is just part of a hospital’s mission. Making sure patients are safe during their stay is just as important as the medicine and treatment they receive.

Patient safety remains one of the most critical healthcare challenges in the nation. It’s no different at Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services. Officials continue to seek new ways to provide even safer practices for patients and their families.

“It’s an ongoing process,” said Carol Mullen, director of medical care management at FMH. “I can’t forsee a time when it will ever end.”

Several new patient safety initiatives have recently launched to ensure that patients receive the most innovative care. Those initiatives include:

• Identification armbands for all patients — including outpatients — to ensure their proper identification during their visit. Also, patients at risk for a fall are given special colored armbands, gowns and throw blankets to ensure that staff are aware they should be treated with special care to prevent injury while at the hospital.

“It’s important for patients, no matter what they are in here for, to have an armband with their name and date of birth, for safety measures,” Mullen said.

• Immediate Labeling to ensure that all lab testing is accurately labeled. When patients have blood drawn, a barcode on their armband is scanned.

“Years ago, all hospitals would get a specimen, walk out to a desk, and make a label for it. Now they are able to make a label on site where the patient is at,” Mullen said.

• Administrators and members of the patient safety council make monthly rounds to each department in the hospital to ask associates their concerns about patient safety.

“It allows our CEO and vice presidents to talk with the patients and get their feedback,” said Deb Steck, care coordination manager.

• Patient safety alerts are emailed hospital-wide to all associates as an ongoing educational tool to raise awareness of issues or processes that concern patient safety.

• All patient safety initiatives are reviewed and evaluated by the Floyd Memorial Board Quality and Patient Safety Committee.

“We are always looking for ways to improve patient safety,” Mullen said. “We look at other facilities and are always looking for good things people are doing in other places.”