Patient Safety

St. Rose is Committed to Patient Safety

The staff at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals is committed to the health and safety of its patients. To ensure your hospital stay is as pleasant and safe as possible, please read and follow the information below.

• Take part in decisions about your treatment.
• Ask the doctor or your care provider to explain anything you don’t understand.
• Voice any concerns you have about your healthcare or condition.
• Ask a trusted family member or friend to be with you when the doctor or care provider is explaining your treatment or condition.
• Complete an advance directive and bring it with you to the hospital. If you are having surgery, make sure you, your doctor and your surgeon all agree on what will be done.
• Ask the doctor to mark the area to be operated on before you are anesthetized.
• Keep a written record of your medical history.

Discharge

• Ask for written instructions for your discharge and aftercare.
• If you are prescribed medications, be sure you have written instructions on when to take what prescription and for how long.
• Ask your doctor or care provider what type of physical activity is allowed for your condition and be sure to follow this advice.

Electrical Appliances

• All electrical appliances brought from home must be inspected for safety.
• This includes razors, curling irons and hair dryers.

Hand Washing

• Hand washing is the best way to fight infection.
• Wash your hands carefully after using the bathroom and throughout the day.
• Ask your care providers if they have washed their hands before they have direct contact with you.
• Ask all visitors to wash their hands when first entering the room.
• If friends or relatives feel ill, ask them to stay home.

Identification

• You may be asked your name and birth date several times throughout your stay.
• This is for your safety.
• These questions are the two patient identifiers St. Rose uses to ensure the patient is receiving the proper treatments.
• Your answers will be compared to your wristband, charts and medications.

Medication Safety

• Bring a list of the medications/prescriptions (including both herbal and over-the-counter) you are taking to the hospital.
• Be sure to include dosage and how often you take them.
• Print medication list form.
• Let the doctor and care providers know of any allergies you have.
• Ask what medications you are being given while in the hospital.
• Know why you are taking them, how often, potential side effects and what the pills look like.
• If you are given a pill that looks different, ask why.
• Let the care provider know if you are having an adverse reaction to any of the medications you are given.

Nurse Call Light

• For your safety, please do not try to leave your bed or chair without informing your care provider first.
• For assistance, press the nurse call button on the arm of your bed.

Personal Items

• Please leave all valuables at home or send them home with a loved one.
• Please bring proper storage cases for dentures, hearing aids, contacts and glasses.
• Also, inform your caregiver that you use these items.

Smoking

• Smoking is prohibited inside the hospital.
• There are designated smoking areas outside.
• Please restrict all smoking to these areas.

JCAHO Standard

St. Rose strives to provide the highest level of patient safety. If you feel your safety has been compromised, please let us know so the situation can be amended. If you feel the situation requires further attention, click here to file an incident with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.