October 31, 2006 - Room of Horrors

Darkened dead end streets, haunted old farmhouses, the mysterious lights of Buck Hill, all of these are scary places to be on Halloween, but have you ever thought of a hospital patient room as a scary place? During a recent patient safety exercise in the “Room of Horrors”, the St. Francis Memorial Hospital staff were asked to think about just that.

After entering a mock patient room with a simulated patient and chart, staff were asked to identify as many common items and mistakes that can lead to patient harm. Risks included medications within reach of the patient, missing allergy labels, out of reach call bells, spills and bed side rails left down to name a few.

This type of hands-on demonstration offers both a way for the entire staff to heighten their risk observing skills as well as a means for uncovering education needs regarding the risks that most staff overlooked.

Each of the risks identified could jeopardize the safety of our patient and put his/her health care at risk. Safety for our patients is a priority for all staff at SFMH and although ensuring the patients environment is safe, our work doesn’t stop there. It also includes looking at how we deliver treatments, transfer information, evaluate new equipment and even teach patients to be more aware of what they can do to help themselves.

One of the team projects that are currently underway to help increase patient safety involves making sure that when the patient arrives at the hospital, staff are able to document a complete list of medications being taken.

Forgetting to tell the doctor about medications you have been on at home, whether they are prescription drugs or bought off the shelf, can affect new treatments and sometimes lead to serious consequences. As a patient, you can help by bagging up all your medications when you come to the hospital or bring an accurate list including dosages and how often they are taken.

“At St. Francis safe care is also quality care” explains Darlene Sernoskie, Director of Hospital Operations. “We are always looking for ways to improve and what better way than to have every staff member looking out for you and helping to find solutions to problems before they even happen.”