SAH is committed to keeping patients, visitors and healthcare providers safe and healthy. SAH is continually enhancing the health and safety of patients and healthcare providers.
As part of SAH’s commitment to patient safety, it has also volunteered to join a national safety campaign, Safer Healthcare Now! (SHN). Consisting of 151 health-related organizations across Canada, the goal of this campaign is to improve healthcare delivery by reducing the number of injuries and deaths related to adverse events, such as infections and medication incidents.
SAH is implementing a Patient Safety Strategy. Here are some of the ways you can stay safe when it comes to your healthcare.
Be Involved In Your Healthcare
- Speak up if you have any questions or concerns about your care.
- Tell a member of your healthcare team about your past illnesses and your current health condition.
- Bring all your medicines with you when you go to the hospital or to a medical appointment.
- Tell a member of your healthcare team if you have ever had an allergic or negative reaction to any medicine or food.
- Make sure you know what to do when you go home from the hospital or from your medical appointment.
What You Can Do To Avoid Medication Errors
- Maintain a list of prescription and non-prescription drugs and other products such as vitamins and minerals you are taking. Take this list with you whenever you visit a healthcare provider and have the provider review it.
- Ask your pharmacist to explain how to properly take your medicine, the side effects of the drug and what to do if you experience side effects.
- Before your surgery, ask whether there are medications that you should take or any that you should stop taking following your procedure.
- Before you are discharged from the hospital, ask for a list of the medications that you should be taking at home, have the provider review them with you, and be sure you understand how these medications should be taken.
Staff Abuse Policy
SAH is also committed to keeping its employees, physicians and volunteers safe. In accordance with SAH policies, violence, harassment or verbal abuse of any healthcare team member will not be tolerated at any time.