Quality & Patient Satisfaction

Hospital Patient Safety in Rhode Island

Patient safety is our utmost concern at South County Hospital, and creating an all-encompassing culture of safety for our patients is an ongoing priority. South County Hospital is consistently meeting the National Patient Safety Goals by urging patients to take an active role in their own care. By asking questions and advocating for oneself, patient safety and quality of care can be maximized.

2009 National Patient Safety Goals
South County Hospital endorses the 2009 patient safety goals developed by The Joint Commission, the nation's predominant standard-setting accrediting body in health care.

  • Identify patients correctly
  • Improve staff communication
  • Use medicines safely
  • Prevent infection
  • Check patient medicines
  • Prevent patients from falling
  • Help patients to be involved in their care
  • Identify patient safety risks
  • Watch patients closely for changes in their health and respond quickly if they need help
  • Prevent errors in surgery

The complete list of the Hospital National Patient Safety Goals for 2009 can be viewed by visiting: http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/NPSG/09_npsgs.htm

Protecting 5 Million Lives Campaign
In keeping with our focus on patient safety goals, South County Hospital is also participating in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Protecting 5 Million Lives Campaign, which is an initiative that aims to protect patients from five million incidents of medical harm. South County Hospital has adopted each of the 12 recommended interventions listed below:

  • Prevent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infection by reliably implementing scientifically proven infection control practices throughout the hospital.
  • Reduce harm from high-alert medications starting with a focus on anticoagulants, sedatives, narcotics, and insulin.
  • Reduce surgical complications by reliably implementing the changes in care recommended by the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP).
  • Prevent pressure ulcers by reliably using science-based guidelines for prevention of this serious and common complication.
  • Deliver reliable, evidence-based care for congestive heart failure to reduce readmissions.
  • Get Boards on board by defining and spreading new and leveraged processes for hospital Boards of Trustees, so that they can become far more effective in accelerating the improvement of care.
  • Deploy Rapid Response Teams at the first sign of patient decline - and before a catastrophic cardiac or respiratory event
  • Deliver reliable, evidence-based care for acute myocardial infraction to prevent deaths from heart attack.
  • Prevent adverse drug events by reconciling patient medications at every transition point in care.
  • Prevent central line infections by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps.
  • Prevent surgical site infections by following a series of steps, including reliable, timely administration of correct perioperative antibiotics.
  • Prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia by implementing a series of interdependent, scientifically grounded steps.

To learn more
We invite you to learn more about quality at South County Hospital. As always, we welcome your comments and questions. For more information, contact Elaine Desmarais, Vice President of Quality & Regulatory Compliance, at 401-782-8000 or edesmarais@schospital.com.