Patient Safety Awareness Week March 9-15

Patient Safety Awareness Week March 9-15

Sandra Davis BSN, RN

Patient Safety Advocate Manager

While March 9-15 is officially Patient Safety Awareness Week, unofficially, every week is Patient Safety Awareness Week at Palestine Regional Medical Center. In fact, patient safety is top of mind at our hospital every day, every hour, every minute, and every second.

Patient safety is central to the “Do No Harm” principle, a fundamental obligation of healthcare providers to avoid harming their patients. Derived from the words “first, do no harm” attributed to ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, this principle is still easier said than done, even two millennia later.

Hospitals, by nature, are filled with sick people. That means within its wall are people afflicted with diseases and sometimes, contagions. It harbors the weakened who are susceptible to falls. And it (carefully) allots drugs that can be miraculous for the right patient but dangerous for the wrong patient.

During this awareness week, many in the healthcare industry focus on educating patients and healthcare workers on safety practices; highlighting key safety issues such as infection prevention, medication errors, and falls; promoting a culture of safety within the hospital’s walls; and recognizing and celebrating achievements in patient safety.

This is an everyday occurrence at PRMC. Our purpose is to provide high-quality, compassionate care in a safe environment so that we can deliver the most positive patient outcomes and experiences. “Safe” is one of the six domains of healthcare quality established by the Institute of Medicine, the same criteria that drive the ScionHealth (PRMC’s parent company) National Quality Strategy (NQS), our clinical and cultural roadmap to success as a provider of healthcare.

We continually strive to make our hospital environment as safe as possible. Everyone from environmental services to infection control to our bedside caregivers plays a role in our efforts to deliver patient safety and find ways to improve our practices. In fact, our entire hospital team just completed a Culture of Safety and Engagement survey to gather feedback about our facility that will drive future improvement efforts.

We can report that by our own internal measurement standards, we have made important gains in best practices around hospital safety since the inception of the NQS in 2023. Palestine Regional Medical Center was one of only three ScionHealth hospitals to earn the 2023 Platinum Award, the company’s highest honor bestowed as part of its quality initiative.

Our efforts around safety have also grabbed the attention of major third-party patient advocacy groups that rate hospitals on their safety and quality. Please know that when you come through the doors at Palestine Regional Medical Center – whether via the emergency room or for scheduled care – your safety is always our priority.