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Safety

Samaritan Health Services is committed to fostering a culture of safety — for patients, employees and visitors. We work in a variety of ways to improve safety for our patients and employees in all our facilities, so we can deliver safe, high-quality patient care, and retain excellent staff.

• Medication Safety
• Patient Safety
• Employee Safety

Medication Safety

As a patient safety initiative, Samaritan is distributing personal medication information forms. The more your physicians know about the medications your taking (especially for people who see multiple doctors), the better care they can provide. Some medications don’t work well together, so by keeping this form with you at all times, health care providers can identify possible problems. Click here to download your personal medication information form.

Patient Safety

Research has shown that human beings—in all lines of work—make errors. Designing systems that make it easier for people to do the right thing can prevent those errors. At Samaritan Health Services, we make concerted efforts to ensure the safety of the patients who come to us for their health care.

Measurement tools that we use when we look at patient safety are the National Patient Safety Goals, a Safety Culture Score, and compliance with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement safety guidelines for patient care.

In July 2002, The Joint Commission announced the first National Patient Safety Goals. These goals are revised annually and focus on practices that help to ensure quality safe care for our patients. Each goal specifies one or more specific evidence-based practices that have been shown to decrease errors and to create a safer environment for our patients. Click here to see the National Patient Safety Goals.

In April 2006, all five Samaritan Health Services hospitals joined the Oregon Patient Safety Commission, a voluntary and confidential reporting program for serious adverse events. The Patient Safety Commission was created to “reduce the risk of serious adverse events in Oregon." For more information, visit the Patient Safety Commission Web site.

In addition, SHS determines a Safety Culture Score for its facilities. This score is based on a safety culture survey, through which our employees share their beliefs about the safety of the environment they work in every day.

SHS also follows suggestions and guidelines for protecting patient safety from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (www.ihi.org). Leadership involvement with patient safety is very important to SHS and is demonstrated by the commitment of our governing boards and organizational leaders to promote safety at all levels within the organization. Leaders maintain contact with staff and promote continuous communications about safety improvements within the organization.

Employee participation
Employees’ opinions and knowledge about safety determine actions, and those actions are what determine safety in our health care organizations. SHS facilities average slightly higher than 75 percent, which is considered a positive safety culture as determined by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Why it's important
We want our patients and our employees to have a safe environment. The survey score serves as a guide that helps us to provide that environment. The survey also helps to increase staff awareness about the importance of safety. Increases in the safety culture score are associated with a decrease in medical errors.

Speak up!

Your participation in safety can make a difference. Read more about the 'Speak Up' initiative at Samaritan Health Services.

Employee Safety

Providing a safe workplace is a priority for Samaritan Health Services. All employees receive in-depth safety training and education during the new-hire orientation process. This training is reinforced on a continual basis with both general and job-specific education and by an annual Safety Fair, held twice a year at each SHS facility. The goal is that all employees have education and training in all aspects of their jobs, and have a thorough understanding of how to maintain and promote a safe work environment.

All hospitals, senior care, and physician clinic groups have active Employee Safety Committees. These groups provide a collaborative process for employees and management to maintain a safe work environment. Representatives from all areas are given the opportunity to serve on these committees. The safety committees review, analyze, and investigate employee accident reports, identify the root causes of accidents, and make recommendations for safety improvements.

Employees and management also participate in specific safety task forces to develop programs, policies and procedures. Some of these task forces include: the Needle Stick Prevention Task Force; the Hazardous Drug Safety & Health Program; and Latex Allergy, Respiratory Protection, Disaster Planning, and Safe Patient Handling programs. Hazard surveillance and environmental rounds are done on a regular basis. This activity, which includes staff employees, management, and safety officers, provides on-site inspection and review of all work areas. Recommendations for improvements are reviewed by the Employee Safety Committee, and evaluated and implemented by management.

Health care workers are at high risk for developing musculoskeletal disorders due to the work activities they perform. To prevent these disorders and to ensure patient safety, SHS provides mechanical lifting devices to assist in transferring and moving patients. SHS also invests in ergonomic workstations and adjustable office chairs to prevent cumulative trauma disorders in our clerical and office staff.

SHS works collaboratively with OSHA, DEQ, The Joint Commission and other regulatory organizations to provide a high level of employee safety. Two SHS facilities, Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital and Samaritan Wiley Creek Community, have been recognized by Oregon OSHA as having achieved an exemplary level of employee safety and are distinguished as SHARP (Safety and Health Recognition Program) facilities.

To further foster a safe and healthy work environment, SHS is committed to helping employees achieve their own optimal state of health. Employees of SHS are eligible to participate in the SHS Employee Wellness Program. The goal of the wellness program is to provide high quality education and support programs that empower employees to develop and maintain healthy life habits and practices. Employees can participate in health risk appraisals, weight reduction classes, exercise and yoga classes, a walking program, and many other health-related classes found within the SHS system and local communities.

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