Patient Safety Program
How Helen Newberry Joy Hospital Measures and Assures Safety
The HNJH Patient Safety Program focuses on the continuous enhancement of safety for all patients, visitors, and employees. We are committed to a culture of safety where employees are encouraged to come forward when they or others make mistakes, allowing us the opportunity to improve the care we deliver and prevent potential errors.
Senior Leader Safety Rounding
Senior Leader Rounding offers insight into the care process and the potential harm to the next patient. Senior Leadership team members walk through a designated unit on a monthly basis. The goals of these rounds are to:
- Demonstrate senior leadership’s commitment to patient safety and develop ongoing relationships with clinical units
- Emphasize dual ownership for unit-level safety: staff and senior leadership
- Facilitate a non-punitive culture of safety
- Encourage reporting of safety opportunities
- Speak directly to frontline staff regarding how we can improve our systems and processes
Fall Reduction Program
Reducing the risk of patient harm resulting from falls is one of HNJH’s main objectives. HNJH has a fall-reduction program that provides guidelines for everyone involved in the care of patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including the Emergency Department. The fall-reduction program includes patient evaluation, interventions, staff education and training, patient education, and outcomes assessment.
Hand Hygiene
Clean hands are the best protection against infection. With an increase in drug-resistant bacteria present in all hospital settings, it has become increasingly important for healthcare employees to follow hand hygiene guidelines. When you clean your hands, you reduce the likelihood of spreading bacteria from one patient to another. Helen Newberry Joy Hospital is part of a growing number of hospitals that monitor hand hygiene among employees. This effort is part of a comprehensive program to keep patients safe. Look for alcohol-based hand sanitizers around our facilities to protect the health of patients, visitors, and employees.
Latex-Safe Environment
HNJH is latex-safe, making every reasonable effort to remove highly allergenic latex sources. This reduced direct exposure to patients and employees, thereby lowering the risk of developing an allergy.
Speak Up!
For Safety
Launched in March 2016, the MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award acknowledges the efforts of individuals or teams within MHA Keystone Center Patient Safety Organization hospitals who speak up to prevent potential harm to patients or staff members. The award represents a voluntary voicing of concerns to eliminate preventable harm caused by miscommunication and non-communication. Since the program’s inception, staff have nominated coworkers 22 times. They are recognized by the CEO and presented with a certificate. In 3rd Quarter 2018, surgical team members won the MHA Speak-up Award. The MHA came onsite and presented them with a trophy.
Safe Environment
HNJH adheres to the National Fire Protection Agency Life Safety Code, a set of national safety requirements that hospitals must comply with. These standards cover construction, protection, and operational features designed to provide safety from fire, smoke, and panic, and are enforced by HNJH’s Facility Department.
Safety Event Reporting System
HNJH’s online Safety Event Reporting System allows any employee to report a near miss, process problem, or a patient event. An event is anything that occurs in the hospital or outpatient setting that caused or has the potential to cause a medical error or injury.
Employees are encouraged to report events even if they did not cause harm to the patient. Reporting “near misses” provides an opportunity for the Quality & Patient Safety Department to identify system flaws and implement changes before they impact the patient. Ensuring our patients’ safety is an essential part of our commitment to putting patients first, and you can make the difference.
Download our Patient’s Rights and Responsibilities brochure below for more information.