Volunteers/Volunteer Orientation/Patient Care Safety
Patient Care Safety
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Patient Care Guidelines
- All indirect and direct patient care staff members are responsible for responding to alarms on medical devices in patient rooms. Please notify clinical staff in the area immediately if you notice a patient’s alarm is going off.
- All patients prone to falls will be identified with a yellow star on their rooms’ outside doorframes, yellow ID bracelets, yellow name cards over their beds and stickers on the outside of their charts. These patients will also be issued yellow, non-skid slipper socks. Please seek assistance if a patient who is labeled as a fall risk needs to get out of bed.
- Any staff member or volunteer is responsible for reporting to the unit nursing staff if a patient complains of pain.
- Each age group we serve may have specific safety requirements, psychosocial needs and guidelines for care based on age.
- Always check the patient’s ID wrist bracelet before providing service.
- Patients have the right to make decisions about their health care. An advance directive is an option for adults to express their wishes about medical care in case they should lose capacity or otherwise be unable to make or communicate decisions. Please notify staff if a patient has expressed interest in completing an advance directive.
Victims of Abuse
In accordance with state law, Carondelet Health’s Victims of Abuse policy addresses the role of health care providers in the identification and reporting of patients who may be victims of abuse or neglect. Anyone can be a victim - a child, a spouse or an elderly person. Mistreatment can be physical, sexual, emotional or neglect. If you see abusive behavior or if a patient shares that he or she is a victim of abuse, please report it to the patient’s nurse or the charge nurse on the unit. This information will be kept confidential.