Patient Safety at South Shore Health

Our Infection Control Department closely monitors hospital acquired infections and maintains strong infection control policies to prevent the spread of infection in the care environment. 

Our team follows strict, evidence-based practices to prevent infections, but you and your visitors play an important role too.

What our team does to prevent infections

• Clean our hands before and after every patient interaction.
• Use sterile techniques when placing or caring for lines, catheters, and surgical sites.
• Follow proven practices to prevent infections like surgical site infections (SSIs), urinary tract infections from catheters (CAUTIs), bloodstream infections from central lines (CLABSIs), and other infections, like MRSA and C. difficile.

How you can help prevent infections

• Clean your hands often. Wash with soap and water or use hand sanitizer, especially before eating and after using the bathroom.
• Keep wounds clean and covered. Follow instructions for caring for any incision or wound.
• Limit touching lines and dressings. Avoid handling IVs, catheters, or bandages unless your care team asks you to.
• Encourage visitors to stay home if sick. Friends and family should not visit if they have a fever, cough, or feel unwell.
• Follow isolation precautions. If special precautions are in place (like gowns or gloves), please follow staff instructions to protect yourself and others.
• Speak up about symptoms. Tell your care team if you notice fever, chills, redness, drainage, or new pain.

We encourage you to remind members of the care team to wash their hands before providing care to you or your loved one. 

Working together, we can reduce infections and keep everyone safer.

Your safety and your baby’s safety are our top priorities during your hospital stay.

To help keep your baby safe and secure, we use special identification bands for you, your baby, and your support person. Your baby will also wear a small security tag (HUGS® system) to help us ensure they are always protected.

Safe Sleep for Your Baby

We follow safe sleep practices to reduce the risk of harm:

• Babies are placed on their back for every sleep.
• The crib has a firm mattress with a fitted sheet only.
• The head of the bed remains flat.

How You Can Help Keep Your Baby Safe

• Always place your baby on their back to sleep in the bassinet.
• Keep the sleep space clear of loose items, including pillows, blankets, quilts, comforters, stuffed animals, toys, and crib bumpers or pads.
• If swaddling, make sure it is snug and stays below the baby’s arms.

Preventing Newborn Falls

It’s normal to feel tired after delivery. To help prevent accidental falls:

• Have your support person stay awake with you during feedings.
• Keep the lights on or bright enough to stay alert.
• Consider setting a reminder or alarm to help you stay awake.
• Call your nurse if you feel too sleepy to safely hold your baby.

Taking the right medicine the right way is an important part of staying safe and getting better.

In the hospital, nurses use safety checks, like scanning medication barcodes, to make sure you receive the correct medication. Some higher-risk medicines (like blood thinners) are carefully double-checked by two clinicians.

How you can help

• Share what you take. Tell your care team about all medications you use at home, including vitamins and supplements.
• Bring medications to our attention. If you bring medicines from home, let your nurse know so they can be stored safely. Please do not take any medications on your own while in the hospital without first checking with your nurse.
• Speak up. If something doesn’t look right or seems different than usual, please ask.
• Ask questions. It’s always okay to ask, “What is this medicine for?”
• Tell us about allergies. Let your care team know if you have had a reaction to any medication in the past.
• Call for help with alarms. If you hear an IV pump alarm, call your nurse. Do not try to adjust the machine yourself.
• Stay informed after discharge. You will receive an updated medication list when you leave. Keep it in a safe place and bring it to your next doctor’s visit.