During your stay at Parkview, our trained staff will create a comfortable, safe experience for you and your family. Below is a listing of some measures we take to ensure you have a safe hospital stay.
Name and birthday check
Before providing care, treatment or services to you or your loved one, your health care provider will verify your name and birthdate.
Allergy check
A health care provide will ask you for a list of allergies and verify these each time you come to the hospital. These allergies are listed and highlighted at the top of your chart. You will also receive an arm band on your wrist, separate from your ID bracelet, to alert staff to your allergies.
What is a true allergy?
True allergies are rare. Allergic reactions happen when your body produces an abnormal immune system reaction (such as swelling, rash, hives, shortness of breath) to a drug, food or the environment around you. Many people suffer from sensitivities or normal side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, feeling light-headed and headaches.
Blood clot prevention
During your stay, you may be asked to take some precautions to prevent blood clots. These include:
- Wearing special tight socks (TED hose)
- Wearing sleeves that go around legs that pulse/squeeze (SCDs)
- Taking a medication that thins the blood(usually given as a small shot in the stomach)
- Walking four to five times daily
- Exercise
Electronic health record
Your private electronic health record (EHR) is the place your care team records medical procedures, medications and other treatments you receive. The EHR provides your physicians and clinical team with a single story of your care and improves communication between your health providers 24 hours a day. This helps to keep you or your loved ones safe by:
- Decreasing medication errors
- Increasing quality of the care
- Allowing your healthcare provider to review your private record from anywhere at any time. This is especially important if you are being treated by more than one type of physician at the same time.
Fall prevention
Surgical patients are at an increased risk for falling, regardless of age or condition. While you’re in the hospital, you are in an unfamiliar place receiving medications and will be connected to medical monitors and hooked up to IV tubes. To help keep you safe, your nurse will:
- Place a yellow armband on your wrist indicating to everyone that you are at risk for falling
- Give you non-skid socks
- Place an alarm on your bed or chair that will let your nurse know if you are getting out of bed without help
Infection prevention
All of your health care providers have been trained on how to properly wash their hands. We also make alcohol-based foam available in all rooms and throughout the hospital. You can help by making sure your visitors wash their hands and that none of your visitors come to the hospital when they are not feeling well. Do not be afraid to ask someone to wash their hands, including your health care providers.
Medical and surgical history
Your nursing staff will verify your medical and surgical history. This ensures that all of your healthcare providers are aware of any previous history that might interfere or change your care while you are in the hospital.
Medication safety
All of your drug allergies are highlighted at the top of your chart. Our pharmacy checks to make sure your prescription medications are not on your allergy list. Each time you are given information, you will be asked for your name and birthdate, and your ID band will be scanned.
Pneumonia prevention
You will be taught the importance of coughing and deep breathing and how to use an incentive spirometer (IS), which is a small, plastic device that helps you exercise your lungs. Depending on your condition, your nurse may ask you to get out of bed and/or change your position every two hours to help keep your lungs clear.
Surgical safety checklist
This is a world-wide safety initiative that takes place at different times during your surgery or procedure. Safety checks will take place before you are given anesthesia, before your surgeon makes an incision and before you are taken out of the operating room.
Time out in surgery
Before your surgeon makes an incision, the entire health care team in the operating room will take a time out. At that time, everyone in the operating room stops and verifies:
- That the correct patient is in the operating room
- That they have the correct side and site on your body
- The procedure to be completed