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TOMS RIVER, NJ, MARCH 25, 2009 – At Community Medical Center,
patient safety is an ongoing practice. Ensuring the overall safety
of patients is a top priority and drives the way the hospital cares
for patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Community Medical Center has joined with the National Patient
Safety Foundation (NPSF) to commemorate patient safety awareness
and educating patients on how to become involved in their own health
care.
NPSF recommends adults take the following actions to protect themselves:
- Rid your medicine cabinets of old or expired medications.
- Bring your medications to your doctor or pharmacist for review.
- Obtain copies of all your health care records and keep them
in a safe place.
- Write down and carry with you a list of all of your prescription
and over the counter medications (including the instructions
of how to take them), as well as any allergies.
- Write down and carry with you the names and numbers of all
of your health care providers and pharmacies.
- Identify an advocate (either family member or friend) who can
accompany you and ask questions on your behalf.
- Talk with your family or other close individuals about what
your wishes are for your health care, in case you are unable
to speak for yourself. Provide them with a copy of your Advance
Directive, also know as a Living Will.
As part of its ongoing patient safety initiatives, Community Medical
Center has partnered with the Joint Commission to promote the “Speak
Up” program. This national patient safety initiative
encourages strong communication between patients and providers.
It is a call to action for patients to become their own healthcare
advocates.
The Speak Up program encourages patients to become actively involved
in their health care, to ask questions, to know what procedures
are being done and why. The more information patients have about
their health care, the better they can make decisions about what
is best for them.
The Speak Up campaign encourages patients to:
- Speak up if you
have questions or concerns, and if you don’t understand,
ask again.
- Pay attention
to the care you are receiving. Make sure you’re getting
the right treatments and medications by the right health care
professionals. Don’t assume anything.
- Educate yourself
about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and
your treatment plan.
- Ask a trusted
family member or friend to be your advocate.
- Know what medications
you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most
common health care mistakes.
- Use a hospital,
clinic, surgery center, or other type of health care organization
that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established
state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as that provided
by The Joint Commission.
- Participate in
all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the
health care team.
In addition to participation in the Speak Up campaign, Community’s
Patient Safety Committee ensures that all employees receive ongoing
education on the hospital’s patient safety goals and safe
practice implementation plans. The goals, part of a national list
of patient safety standards, include everything from preventing
falls and eliminating medication errors to ensuring proper patient
identification, and enhancing infection control practices to reduce
the occurrence of infections.
Improving communication between patients and providers helps ensure
the highest level of patient safety for every patient at Community
Medical Center.
For more information about Community Medical Center, or for a
referral to a physician on staff, please call 1-888-SBHS-123 or
visit www.saintbarnabas.com.
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