News Release
CKHA Celebrates Canadian Patient Safety Week
CHATHAM-KENT -- Canadian Patient Safety Week is an annual national event to increase awareness of patient safety issues in Canada. The Canadian Patient Safety Institute launched Canadian Patient Safety Week to help ensure every Canadian in need of healthcare can be confident that the care they receive is the safest in the world.
This year, Canadian Patient Safety Week is November 2 - 6, 2009. The theme for this year is Ask. Listen. Talk.- Good healthcare starts with good communication. Healthcare professionals, patients and their families are encouraged to not just think it, but to say it – ASK questions, LISTEN to the answers, and TALK about concerns.
CKHA will be displaying patient safety tips materials in key areas of the hospital. The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) "Your Health Care – Be Involved" brochures and Patient Safety Newsletters will be available to all patients. The Patient Safety Display Expo will be held in at the Chatham campus on November 3 and at the Sydenham Campus on Nov 5th. Displays include Falls Prevention, Safe Medication Initiatives, Accreditation and Safety Reporting, Public Reporting, Pressure Ulcer Prevention, Radiation Awareness, Lean Six Sigma, Patient and Family Centered Care, Order Sets, Communication Tools and Strategies, Safe Surgical Checklist and ‘Call to Order’.
Patient Safety Champions will be recognized on Tuesday, November 3. The winner of the Inaugural CKHA Patient Safety Award will be announced, as well.
Public Service Announcements on local radio stations will stress the importance for patients and families to ask for more information about their healthcare. "The questions we don’t ask can put us and our loved ones at risk. It’s Canadian Patient Safety Week. Don’t hesitate to talk openly with your healthcare professional. Ask questions, listen to the answers and discuss your concerns. Remember, good healthcare starts with good communication. For more information on Patient Safety, please visit asklistentalk.ca
On Friday, November 6, Ryan Sidorchuk, Leader, Patient Voice Facilitation from the Windsor Regional Health Authority will be here to discuss "The Evidence and Integrating Patients and Families in Care" and "The National and International Exploration of Patient Safety". He is a Canadian global champion within the Patients for Patient Stream of the World Alliance for Patient Safety (WAPS). He will be presenting two sessions at Grand Rounds – one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
For more information, please contact:
Shane Helgerman, Director of Mission, Quality Improvements, and Learning Services
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance
Tel: 519.352.6401 x 6113