Patient safety is a priority at Saint Clare’s Health System. Everyday, our staff and physicians strive to provide patients with the safest and highest quality care in a comfortable environment. Saint Clare’s believes that patients and their families should be active partners in their care. 

Click here for a brief video about Patient Safety.

Here are some ways patients can participate in the safety of their care:

Openly share your health history with your caregiver. 
Provide physicians and hospital staff with a health history, any operations you have had, or any allergies you may have. This information helps us take better care of you.

Provide a medication list. 
It is very important that we know all of your current medications, including herbals or supplements, and the name, dose, route, and the date and time it was last taken. Please bring a current list, or a bag containing your medications, with you when you come to the hospital.  When you leave the hospital, you should receive a complete list of medications that should be continued at home. If you do not receive this list, please tell your nurse so that it can be provided to you before you leave.    
 
Don’t understand something about your care?
If you have questions or concerns about your condition or treatment options, please be sure to ask. Bring along a family member or friend that can listen, take notes, and help ask questions. 

Let us know about your health care choices.
Let your healthcare choices be known — write them down in your Living Will. Choose someone as a healthcare proxy to make choices for you in the event that you are not able to do so yourself. 

Saint Clare's has developed Putting Your Healthcare Needs in Writing, in both English and Spanish (Espanol), to provide additional detail on  Living Wills and other Advance Healthcare Directives. Advance Directives and Living Wills can be developed in conjunction with your attorney or can be easily set-up through convenient forms that Saint Clare's has developed. For English, click here. For Spanish (Espanol), click here. 
 
Click here to access the U.S Living Will Registry, a free service that electronically stores advance directives and makes them available to healthcare providers 24 hours a day.   
 
Verification of identity is required.
Expect all caregivers to ask you your full name and date of birth and check your wristband ID frequently. Proper patient identification is the first step in preventing medical errors.

Help reduce the risk of infections.
Proper hand hygiene is the best way to reduce spreading infections. Remind your caregivers to wash their hands before they care for you. Wash your own hands often and don’t touch any wound or IV site.

IVs, medical tubing, and treatment equipment are important to your care.
While an inpatient, if any of your IVs, medical tubing, or treatment equipment becomes disconnected, call your nurse immediately.  For safety reasons, patients and family members must not attempt to reconnect any IV or medical tubing.    

Know how to care for yourself at home.
You will receive written discharge instructions for medications, ongoing care, diet, activity, worsening signs/symptoms, and follow-up appointments. Be sure to review this with your nurse and ask any questions you may have.

Our patients are our first priority.

Click here for assistance with questions and concerns and for contact information for The Joint Commission and the New Jersey Healthcare Quality Improvement Organization.