Alton Memorial Hospital is setting the standard to ensure safe, quality care Alton Memorial Hospital and BJC HealthCare are committed to providing safe, quality health care to patients every day. That's why the hospital has adopted certain standards of clinical excellence and put programs in place to consistently deliver exceptional care.
Initiatives are under way at all BJC hospitals to help minimize the risk of hospital infections, ensure safer surgery and improve medication accuracy.
For example, Alton Memorial pharmacists use computer-based tools that automatically review prescription orders, compare them to patient-specific information in the hospital's database and identify potentially harmful drug interactions or dosages outside the normal range. This "safety net" alerts pharmacists to potential medication issues, which then are discussed with the patient's physician.
Alton Memorial adopts standards of medical care that have been proven to provide the best outcomes for patients. For example, the hospital implements protocols in the emergency department to ensure heart attack patients are given clot-busting drugs within one-half hour of arrival.
To learn more about patient safety at Alton Memorial Hospital as well as simple things you can do to improve your care, call toll-free 800.392.0936 for a free informational booklet.
Speak Up for Your Health
Everyone has a role in making health care safe -- physicians, health-care executives, nurses and technicians. You, as the patient, can also play a vital role in making your care safe by becoming an active, involved and informed member of your health-care team.
- Speak up if you have questions or concerns, and if you don't understand, ask again. It's your body and you have a right to know.
- Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you're getting the right treatments and medications by the right health-care professionals. Don't assume anything.
- Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan.
- Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.
- Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most common health-care errors.
- Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of health-care organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards.
- Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health-care team.
Courtesy of the Joint Commission.