PRHC planning patient safety week promotion, education
Canadian Patient Safety Week Oct. 8 to 13
Tuesday October 2, 2007 -- Natalie Miller
Staff education and patient safety brochures on every patient’s tray are two ways in which Peterborough Regional Health Centre is participating in Canadian Patient Safety Week, Oct. 8 to 13.

“We have plans that revolve around the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) (campaigns),” says Darlene Mack, patient relations and risk management consultant and chief privacy officer for the hospital in Peterborough, Ontario.

She says the ‘Be involved’ OHA campaign posters are already up throughout the hospital. On launch day of the OHA safety campaign, Oct. 12, “We’re going to be putting brochures on every patient’s tray,” says Mack. She says the themes between the two campaigns have a similar message which encourages patients to take an active role in their healthcare.

The Canadian Patient Safety Institute’s Patient Safety Week is in its third year. This year’s theme is ‘Patient Safety: Be Involved. Ask. Talk. Listen.’ The Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) is a national organization that works to provide national leadership in building and advancing a safer Canadian health system. By visiting www.patientsafetyweek.ca, hospitals and other healthcare providers can access information, toolkits and other material about patient safety week. The CPSI says the site will be updated regularly to help healthcare providers take part in the week dedicated to patient safety in Canada.

Meanwhile, ‘Your Health Care – Be Involved’ is an initiative developed by the OHA’s Patient Safety Support Service with funding from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. ‘Your Health Care – Be Involved’ provides patients with five tips aimed at encouraging them to be more involved in their healthcare.

Mack says in addition to the brochures on patient trays, the hospital will add literature about patient engagement to the orientation packages that currently are at each patient’s bedside.

Maureen Condon, co-ordinator of patient relations and risk management, says the hospital is also planning an education component for staff members so they are familiar with the campaign and the fact patients are being encouraged to speak up and ask questions. Quizzes and prizes are on the agenda, and an expected media launch as well.

“They need to be prepared,” she says, “to expect more questions from patients.”

“I think staff are really aware that has been a trend over the past few years. The challenge for us is to get more comfortable with how we respond.” She says privacy legislation, for instance, limits staff as to what information they can reveal to whom. “I think the other challenge is when under stress, family members can come across as overly aggressive when that’s not their intent. We have to be sensitive to how stress impacts a person’s ability to communicate.”

Condon says the OHA and CPSI campaigns are an opportunity to highlight the attention PRHC puts on patient safety each day.

-- More to come