From the Patient Safety Monitor Blog: New program helps alert medical team of insufficient patient care

Patient Safety Monitor Alert

November 24, 2010

Two hospitals in the Care New England Health Care System have created programs to empower patients and their family members to call if they are worried about patient care.

Kent and Women & Infants hospitals, both located in Rhode Island, have implemented Family Activated Safety Team (FAST). According to PhysOrg, the hotline will assist in recognizing poor patient care by staff. Raymond Powrie, MD, and senior vice president for Quality and Clinical Effectiveness at Women & Infants, highlighted the importance of patients and families:

“It is vital that patients and families feel empowered to raise concerns or pose questions of their caregivers and, therefore, be advocates for patient safety,” he said. “It is equally important that there is recourse if they feel their voice is not being heard.”