Patient safety encompasses all actions taken to provide high-quality care services. “At Clínica CES, it is very important for us that patients feel safe when receiving care,” emphasizes Alejandra Agudelo Arias, Patient Safety Leader and Nurse.

The World Health Organization (WHO) establishes safety standards that each healthcare institution is responsible for monitoring and fully implementing. At Clínica CES, the Patient Safety Committee, comprising leaders from clinical management, analyzes safety event reports and their indicators to implement improvement actions that mitigate recurrence.

One strategy of the Clinic’s Epidemiological Surveillance department is conducting safety rounds to ensure staff adherence to established protocols. Additionally, nursing leaders ensure that medications are correctly labeled, patients wear their identification bracelets, bed rails are raised, urine collection bags are below the patient’s hips, and patients are clean and well-organized.

“Cleanliness and organization equal patient safety,” says Nurse Alejandra Arias.

Another example of the institution’s commitment is the various internal campaigns aimed at strengthening knowledge and best practices: “Error-Free” to prevent all adverse events or incidents related to medication administration. “Stop No More Falls” seeks to reduce patient falls by promoting safe actions from staff and caregivers. “The One Who Takes the Sample Sends It” aims to prevent lab samples from being lost or incorrectly recorded. “We Are a Clean Hands Clinic” reinforces the moments and steps for proper hand hygiene during and after patient care.

Each of these campaigns is led by care staff and includes educating patients, caregivers, or companions so that, upon entering the institution, they adhere to all safety measures and actions that help prevent adverse events or incidents such as falls, improper medication administration, pressure injuries or skin lesions, urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, phlebitis, among others.

Patient safety is also the responsibility of the patient and their companion. Actions that strengthen safe and quality care include:

• The patient and their companion should know the diagnosis and always seek clarity from healthcare staff.
• When the patient is admitted to the institution, they should inform about allergies, medications, vitamins they regularly take, and any specific dietary needs.
• The patient should always remain accompanied by someone responsible for receiving information and conveying it to the patient when they are able to understand it.
• Verify that the name and ID number on the identification bracelet are correct.
• Ensure that healthcare staff use hand sanitizer upon entering the room and perform proper hand hygiene to prevent infections.
• Understand that in a hospital setting, bacteria and microorganisms exist that pose a risk of contamination.

“If we have standardized protocols, clear guidelines, and everyone is speaking the same language, understanding what will happen during the hospital stay, risks will be minimized, and patient safety will take center stage.”

For a healthcare system to be safe, it requires the participation and responsibility of all involved parties, thereby contributing to the patient’s overall well-being