Patient Safety
At Santa Rosa Medical Center we are concerned with your safety. We encourage patients and families to report their concerns related to care, treatment, services, and patient safety issues. Patients can freely voice concerns or complaints and recommend changes without being subject to coercion, discrimination, reprisal, or unreasonable interruption of care.
If you or your family has concerns/complaints about patient care or safety in the hospital, please contact your nurse manager, patient advocate, risk management or hospital administrator. Please call us at (850) 626-5102, or fill out our online contact form. Patients may also call the Joint Commission at (800) 994-6610 or the State of Florida (AHCA) at (888) 419-3456, if these issues are not resolved by hospital staff.
The following guidelines will help us to provide you with safe, effective care during your stay:
- If you do not understand something, ask for a clearer explanation.
- Make sure you tell the nurse about all medications, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements.
- Make sure the information on your identification bracelet is correct.
- If your identification bracelet is removed or comes off, ask for a new one to replace it.
- The nurse who gives you medication will check the medication, the order and your identification so that you receive the correct medicine and dosage.
- If your medicine is a different color or shape from what you were given previously, ask the nurse to check to make sure it is correct.
- When you undergo a test or procedure, the order and your identification will be checked.
- Tell a nurse if you have a reaction to something or if your symptoms get worse.
- Make sure you understand clearly who will be performing your surgery/procedure, exactly what will be done and what to expect during and after the surgery/procedure.
- Surgical staff will take many steps to make sure all surgery is done on the correct site and on the correct patient.
- Hand washing is the best prevention to infection. Make sure your visitors and caretakers are washing their hands, using antimicrobial foam/gel and/or wearing gloves. Hands should be washed or foam/gel applied before and after using gloves.
Fall Prevention
Sometimes medicines and a different environment may make you at increased risk for falls. To prevent falls: Ask that the bed side rails be kept up, make sure your call light is within reach, the bed is in low position and the brakes are locked. Only get up by yourself if your doctor has told you it is okay, otherwise, always ask for assistance from your nurse. Wear non-slip shoes or slippers when getting up. If needed, ask for a light to be kept on so that you can see when getting out of bed at night.