Interlake Residents Encouraged to Play a Role in Patient Safety Week
October 31 – November 4
Stonewall, Man., October 20, 2011— Former Interlake RHA emergency room nurse, Heidi Sveinson, is encouraging Interlake residents to take an active role in their healthcare. Now acting as the region’s patient safety coordinator, Sveinson will be visiting Interlake communities with paramedics and ambulances during Patient Safety Week to help people understand how they can better involve themselves in their experiences with the healthcare system.
“Active involvement of patients in their healthcare has been associated with several positive outcomes, including greater satisfaction, increased adherence to treatment, and better treatment outcomes,” Sveinson said. “The single most important way to prevent errors is to be an active member of your health care team.”
Sveinson and her colleagues will be helping people fill in medication cards, handing out Emergency Response Information Kits (ERIK) and providing information to help people become more comfortable in managing their experiences within the health care system.
“Make sure your healthcare provider has information on all medications you are taking and any allergies or adverse reactions you may have had as well as your medical history,” Heidi said. “This can help you avoid getting a medicine or treatment that may be harmful.”
At the site visits during patient safety week, there will be a patient suggestion box, free giveaways, balloons for the kids and a look inside the ambulance.
Look for Sveinson and the emergency medical service crew and ambulance at Interlake RHA facilities, recreation centres, community clubs, and shopping mall parking lots during Patient Safety Week. A listing of communities and locations where Sveinson will visit during patient safety week can be found
here.
A responsive and safe healthcare environment for patients is one of five objectives identified in the Interlake Regional Health Authority’s
five year strategic plan. The patient safety coordinator and public education on how to be a partner in ensuring safe healthcare are, in part, contributing to the achievement of this objective.
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Contact: Lauralou Cicierski, Public Relations Manager
(204) 467-4747, lcicierski@irha.mb.ca