News release

Patient Safety Week Reminds That Good Health Care Starts With Communication

Health and Wellness

NOTE: A list of a dozen tips for patients and families follows this release.


Nova Scotians can help improve health-care safety by asking questions, listening to the answers and talking about any concerns with health care providers.

Ask. Listen. Talk is the theme for patient safety week, which runs until Friday, Nov. 2.

"Health care is about people helping people," said Health and Wellness Minister David Wilson. "If you have a concern, talk to someone. We all want health care that respects patients and families for asking questions and where everyone makes safety a priority."

Natalie Pece struggles with Cystic Fibrosis, asthma and diabetes and has received care for many years at the IWK Health Centre and the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. She speaks publicly about her experiences as a patient, to increase understanding among health-care providers. She spoke recently at a Health and Wellness Quality and Patient Safety Knowledge Exchange in October. The 32-year-old said patients and families need to help make health care better.

"A measure of quality for me is feeling better, and quality for me means anything health-care providers can do to make that happen," Ms. Pece said. "Constantly developing health issues, doctor appointments, hospital admissions, pills and treatments -- knowing the experience of kids and adults with chronic illness, with illness generally, is a necessary part of the care we receive and the care provided."

The province appointed a Quality and Patient Safety Advisory Committee to consult health-care partners and provide advice and recommendations. Members have recent clinical experience and expertise in patient safety, health law and other matters.

"We are in regular conversation with those who need health care and those who deliver health care, and we are hearing from everyone that we need to share our stories, our lessons and our successes," said Dr. Peter Vaughan, chair of the committee and president and chief executive officer of the South Shore District Health Authority. "We need to support each other and work together to increase our capacity. That means educating patients and current and future health-care leaders about what we can do to make health care better."

In 2009, Nova Scotia established the Provincial Centre for Infection Prevention and Control to help improve the consistency of practices and build collaboration among health care partners.

The Patient Safety Act, passed in May, requires district health authorities and the IWK to publicaly report patient safety results, beginning with hand hygiene rates, considered basic to preventing infection.

For more information, visit http://novascotia.ca/dhw and http://patientsafetyinstitute.ca .


Following are 12 tips for patients and families to improve health care safety:

  1. Wash hands when visiting a health-care site and ask a doctor or health-care provider to do the same.
  2. Tell the doctors if seeing more than one doctor.
  3. Ask health professionals if they have patient health information.
  4. Keep a journal listing details about treatment and care, medications and tests.
  5. Ask someone to be a health advocate to take notes, ask questions and, if needed, make decisions.
  6. Ask why a test or treatment is needed, how it helps, what is involved, and what the expected outcomes are.
  7. After a test or procedure, find out when and how results will be delivered and follow up with doctor.
  8. Make sure doctor prescriptions can be read and know the name of the drug.
  9. Tell doctors about all medications, over-the-counter drugs, herbal supplements or vitamins being taken.
  10. Take medications as prescribed, understand what they are for, how to take them and possible side effects. Contact a doctor, nurse practitioner or pharmacist with any concerns.
  11. For after-hour concerns about medication, call Healthlink 811 or go to 811.novascotia.ca
  12. If somebody's life could be in danger, call 911 immediately. Highly trained paramedics will respond with emergency medical care and take the patient to the right hospital for the care needed.