Province Celebrates Patient Safety Week
Patients are encouraged to become more involved in their care as part of Canadian Patient Safety Week, Sept. 29-Oct. 4.
"Our health-care professionals are among the best in North America," said Health Minister Chris d'Entremont. "Patient safety week is an opportunity to recognize the role we all play in patient safety."
This year's theme "Knowledge is the best medicine. Ask. Talk Listen." focuses on medication reconciliation.
Medication reconciliation is comparing a patient's medication orders to medications they have been taking. This avoids medication errors such as omissions, duplications, dosing errors, or drug interactions. It should be done whenever and wherever new medications are ordered or existing orders rewritten.
"Patients should bring a record of all medication they are taking to each medical appointment they attend," said Dr. Ken Buchholz, physician advisor with the Department of Health.
The potential impact is significant. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices estimates that 50 per cent of medication errors could be eliminated with proper medication reconciliation.
Nova Scotia's district health authorities are planning events across the province to raise awareness. Among the planned events are display areas in South Shore district and Cumberland health authorities, where patients are encouraged to bring in medications to have them logged on a medication information card. The IWK Health Centre will also have a display.
Tips on patient safety and provincial initiatives are available on the Department of Health website at www.gov.ns.ca/health .
District health authorities are also doing events that media may want to interview them about.
The contacts are:
Theresa Hawkesworth
South Shore Health
902-527-2266
Fraser Mooney
South West Health
902-749-0517
Jan MacKinnon
Annapolis Valley Health
902-538-3443
Krista Wood
Colchester East Hants Health Authority
902-893-5554 ext. 2409
Ann Keddy
Cumberland Health Authority
902-661-1090
Eileen MacIsaac
Pictou County Health Authority
902-752-7600 ext. 1124
Heather MacKay
Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority
902-867-4262
Greg Boone
Cape Breton District Health Authority
902-567-7791
Peter Graham
Capital Health
902-473-7020
Gillian Batten
IWK Health Centre
902-470-6740