To help mark National Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 4-10), we've compiled some helpful tips to help you and your loved ones to recognize a range of efforts to improve safety and comfort in your homes, particularly upon returning from the hospital.

1. 7 Tips for National Patient Safety
Awareness Week and Beyond

2. To help mark National Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 4-10),
we've compiled some helpful tips to help you and your loved ones to
recognize a range of efforts to improve safety and comfort in your
homes, particularly upon returning from the hospital.

3. Health, safety and comfort of all patients is a top priority, especially
because home accidents are a major reason for costly return trips to the
hospital, most of which can be prevented by the elimination of hazards.

4. To help with safety education, here are some helpful tips for you to
use yourself and to share with loved ones:

5. http://www.plowhearth.com/plow_assets/images/shop/catalog/11249.jpg
• Make sure emergency numbers are posted by each telephone.
• Outside doorways and stairs should be well lit; indoor hallways
should be equipped with nightlights.

6. • Bathtubs, showers, stairs and loose rugs should all have non-skid
strips or mats.
• Turn pan handles away from the burners and the edges of the
stove.

7. • Store medications in a safe place according to instructions;
Dispose of after expiration.
• Working smoke detectors should be placed in hallways and near
sleeping areas.

8. In addition to recommending these and other tips, BrightStar Care
offers a variety of services intended to help keep patients safe, from
performing home safety assessments to transporting patients home
from the hospital and caring for them during the days and weeks after
their hospital stay.

9. To reduce negative outcomes, avoid return trips to the hospital and
improve patient quality of life, BrightStar Care’s registered nurses also
create detailed plans of care to make sure patients are safe,
comfortable and educated on the specifics of their condition.

10. National Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual education and
awareness campaign for health care safety led by the
National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF).

11. The event focuses on efforts to
reduce medication errors and lower
hospital readmission rates by
facilitating improved patient care
through better communication among
providers, patients, families and
communities.

12. “Patient Safety Awareness Week underscores the needs addressed by
national discussions on patient safety and emphasizes the value of
collective effort and working together for making and keeping our
health care system safe,” said Diane C. Pinakiewicz, President of NPSF.

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