Safety

Safety matters...

Safe patient care is one of the highest priorities for North Ottawa Community Health System (NOCHS) and an absolute necessary component of quality care. Patient safety is not a single event in time or a distinct program. Rather, it is a way of life here at NOCHS... every day of the week. Our Quality Management Team together with our Clinical Leaders continually strive to identify new opportunities to improve safety throughout our organization.

North Ottawa Community Health System’s commitment to safe care is carried out through:

• State-of-the-art technological innovations in medication dispensing systems, “Smart Pump" technology for IV infusions, bar code technology for medication verification, electronic patient records, and electronic incident reporting  

• Systematic surveillance for potential hazards, through hourly patient safety rounds and through rounding by our Administrative Team
• Streamlining processes at the bedside, removing waste and inefficiency in the system by implementing the LEAN philosophy
• Encouragement of patient and family involvement in every aspect of patient care
• Implementation of National Patient Safety Goals
• Our proactive system-wide Infection Control program to help protect our patients from infection
• Our Medication Safety Committee aggressively identifying potential risks in medication administration in order to prevent medication errors
• Our Environment of Care team promoting a safe, functional, and supportive environment within the hospital by minimizing risks so that quality and safety are preserved
• A culture of safety that permeates all aspects of the organization

Safe care is not only your right, it is our promise to you.