This year, Patient Safety Awareness Week happens to include St. Patrick’s Day, but at Cooper, we know your safety and well-being are more than just luck! There are many ways that our teams monitor ways to continue to improve on patient safety risks. Two examples are fall prevention and improving hand hygiene.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates that 700,000 to 1 million patients fall each year. One third of falls results in injury. Death or serious injury resulting from falling while being cared for in a health care facility is considered a ‘never’ event. Even falls which cause no harm can cause distress and anxiety to patients, their families, and the staff. At Cooper, we track falls on a daily basis during our Daily Safety Huddle. Falls are reviewed to find opportunities for improvement.
Another patient safety initiative is focused on hand hygiene. Hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infection. Infections such as colds, flu, pneumonia, Acinetobacter, MRSA, and surgical site infections can be spread by contaminated hands. At Cooper, we track and trend these infections. We work to ensure impeccable hand hygiene to reduce the spread of infection, keeping our patients, ourselves, and our families safe. Proper hand hygiene only takes 20 to 30 seconds to perform correctly.
At Cooper, we take your safety while in our care very seriously. Whether you’re visiting a primary care physician for your annual visit, or seriously ill in the hospital, we’re making sure we’re doing everything we can to help you get healthy and stay healthy. To learn more about how we’re keeping you safe, click here.