Cole Hospital focuses on patient safety, awareness

Effective communication between caregiver and patient is being highlighted during National Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 4-10) at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport.

Emphasis is on the partnership providers, patients and the community can take to improve patient safety. It's also an opportunity for Cole Hospital to highlight results of recent patient surveys.

Patrice Levavasseur, chief of patient support services, reports that Cole scores in the top ten percent of hospitals nationwide in response to patient safety questions about medications.

Questions about medication administration safety in the local hospital's inpatient units ranked Cole in the top three percent.

"Were very proud to know that our patients think we're doing a good job," she said.

Other survey questions that rate patient perceptions of safety and security in the outpatient setting rank the hospital in the top six percent.

"Providing safe and effective care for our patients is at the heart of all we do," said Lucy Lajcsak, patient safety officer. "This week is a reminder to patients and their families to ask their caregiver questions about their health care (and) actively participate in the process."

Charles Cole Memorial Hospital staff receives ongoing education on patient safety initiatives, such as use of appropriate patient identifiers, hand-washing, medication reconciliation and effective communication.

"It takes the hard work of each of our clinicians and physicians to meet our goal of making Charles Cole a health care leader in patient safety," Lajcsak said.

Further information is available in a Patient Safety Awareness Week display in the link connecting the hospital to the Irwin Medical Arts Center.