Health Column: Bringing awareness to patient safety

Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual recognition event intended to encourage everyone to learn more about healthcare safety. It’s an opportunity for hospitals and health systems to share their work and resources on patient safety, safety culture and patient engagement.

Barton Health is proud of its industry acknowledgement for quality care, as well as internal and external track record for safety. In our most recent company-wide survey, 92 percent of employees reported they feel Barton provides safe, error-free care for patients. Truly, our staff of dedicated care providers is the backbone to Barton being a healthcare leader known for compassion and chosen for quality.

While results like Barton Memorial Hospital’s ‘A’ grade safety rating from the Leapfrog Group, and the California Hospital Association awarding Barton the Standard in Excellence speak volumes, we must continue to focus on and prioritize our efforts as a healthcare system. Our patients and their safety are the most important thing to us.

When we talk about patient safety, we’re talking about how hospitals and healthcare organizations protect their patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. Strong healthcare teams reduce infection rates, put checks in place to prevent mistakes, and ensure strong lines of communication between hospital staff, patients, and families.

An example of Barton’s commitment to maintaining open communication for our patients’ safety is Condition H(elp). Condition H provides a hotline for patients and their visitors to call if they become concerned with care. A call can be made from any hospital phone and within minutes, a team of critical care clinicians will respond to the patient’s bedside to reassess the patient’s condition and address immediate needs. This program empowers patients and their loved ones to help prevent medical errors and breakdowns in communication surrounding care.

During Patient Safety Awareness Week – and every week – Barton Health salutes its team members who work to constantly build on safety standards and keep an open door to improving, so that we can continue striving to provide consistently exceptional care for our community. For more information on Barton’s industry recognition for patient safety, visit bartonhealth.org/reportcard.

Matthew Wonnacott, MD, is Chief Medical Officer at Barton Health.