INOVA HEALTH SYSTEM : PATIENT & VISITOR INFO : Patient Safety

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Patient Safety

Your Safety is Our First Concern
Loudoun Healthcare, Inc. has adopted the National Patient Safety Goals. These goals are designed to improve the safety of the healthcare system. The goals are:

Improve the accuracy of patient identification: Expect that every caregiver will check your armband prior to all interventions to properly identify you.
Improve the effectiveness of communication among caregivers: Know that your caregivers have been educated to avoid the use of certain abbreviations that can be confused with one another.
Improve the safety of using medications: Be aware of the medications you are taking. Ask what medications you are receiving and what they are for, especially if any look unfamiliar. Inform your healthcare provider of any food or drug allergies.
Accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care: Provide a complete list of your current medications upon admission to the hospital. Be sure a complete list of your medications is communicated to your next provider of care when you are transferred or referred to another practitioner, setting, or service within our outside the hospital.
Reduce the risk of health care associated infections: Ask your caregiver about currently accepted hand hygiene practices.
Reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls: Wear rubber-soled shoes/slippers to prevent falls. Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions about getting out of bed. Please ask for help when getting out of bed.
Eliminate wrong-site, wrong-patient, wrong-procedure surgery: Assist your surgical team in identifying your surgical site.
Ask any questions if you are not sure about what you need to do once you return home.

For more information about patient safety, download our Patient Safety Consumer Fact Sheet (.pdf).

Patient Handbook (PDF)