Jewish General Hospital - Press releases

2012/06/21

Jewish General Hospital releases latest data on patient safety

Continuing its pace-setting initiative of providing the public with detailed information about its performance, the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) is disclosing a third set of data about adverse events that occur in the hospital. Included is the total number of reported medication errors, the total number of reported patient falls, and the prevalence of hospital acquired pressure ulcers at the JGH. The information released also contains details about the many activities the JGH is undertaking in an effort to improve its overall results.

This is the latest instance of the JGH informing the public about various aspects of performance, each of which is known as a Quality Indicator. Previously, this type of detailed information was available only to hospital staff and to government officials. By disclosing the data in terms that are easy to understand, the Jewish General Hospital intends to further improve its accountability to the public.

"It's been a year since the JGH made history as the first hospital in Quebec to post its Quality Indicators on the Internet, and now we are proud to maintain the momentum by disclosing information about new areas of performance," said Dr. Hartley Stern, JGH Executive Director. "This reaffirms our commitment to frankness and transparency by highlighting areas where performance is strong, while identifying those that require additional improvement. These statistics are also among the data the JGH is using in its ongoing collaboration with healthcare institutions across Quebec to upgrade the quality of care for patients throughout the province."

In addition to launching its Quality Indicators website, the JGH has also launched its Speak Up! Campaign, as part of a hospital-wide effort to increase effective communication between patients and hospital staff. While the program encourages patients to speak up about their treatment, the hospital is also training staff about active listening, the most effective words to use in speaking with each other and with patients and visitors, and better ways to develop and distribute information that might be overwhelming and confusing for patients.

Last summer, the JGH became the first hospital in Quebec to publicly disclose data about its Quality Indicators. The JGH Quality Indicators web page showcases the many quality and safety improvement activities currently under way at the hospital, and demonstrates that the JGH is responding to areas in need of improvement.

Details about all quality indicators and adverse events can be found at jgh.ca/en/qualityindicators

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Contact:

Glenn J. Nashen, Director
Astrid Morin, Media Relations
Public Affairs and Communications
Jewish General Hospital
Tel.: 514-340-8222 ext. 4612
Email: amorin@jgh.mcgill.ca
Website: jgh.ca