Critical Care | Patient Safety

Our health care team is committed to making your loved one's stay with us as safe as possible.

Please take a moment to read this list of ways you can contribute to the health care plan:

• Ask questions about daily goals, tests and discharge plans.
• Ask healthcare professionals entering your loved ones room to identify them selves and their role.
• Make lists of questions to help you get all the information you need.
• Tell caregivers about your loved ones medications and be sure to include any allergies or reactions to medications or food.
• Speak up if a situation seems out-of- the- ordinary.

We welcome you to share items and information on the biography board located in the back of each room in the ICU. This will help us to get to know your family member and what might be important to them.

Infection Control

Prevention of infection is very important to us and we have found two simple ways to assist in that prevention:

• Increasing the patient's head of their bed 30 degrees (when safe to do so).
• Staff hand washing before and after care.

Pain Management

The Critical Care Team at Hartford Hospital strongly believes unrelieved pain has adverse physical and psychological effects on your loved one.
We are committed to:

• Assessing your family members initially and regularly for pain
• Respecting your family members individual perception of pain and pain relief
• Responding quickly to reports of pain
• Using pain assessment scales to accurately determine your family members level of pain and pain relief
• We will work closely with you and your family member to assure optimal pain relief

Patient Health Care Journal

Patient safety and other important information can be found in the “Patient Health Care Journal” that patients receive when they are admitted to Hartford Hospital. This journal provides a vehicle to enable the hospital to share important information with patients and families. In addition, it provides a place for patients, families and staff to write down questions, important care points and share information among family members.