Jones Memorial Hospital
Patient Safety Equipment & Initiatives

Bariatric Equipment
Bariatrics refers to the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, control, and treatment of obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 65-percent of American adults - more than 60 million - are either overweight or obese.
As a health care facility, Jones Memorial Hospital strives to provide safe care for all of our patients, while providing a safe work environment for our employees. The obese patient presents unique challenges in providing for their mobility, without subjecting the health care provider to risk of injury while assisting them. The majority of back and musculoskeletal injuries incurred by healthcare providers happen when lifting or mobilizing a patient. With that in mind, the following equipment has been purchased by JMH and enable our staff to safely provide care for our bariatric patients:

• The E-Z stand (right) can safely lift, transfer and weigh patients up to 800 pounds.
  

• The bariatric commode safely supports up to 700 pounds.
  

• A wide variety of trapeze systems safely support up to 1000 pounds.
  

• A bariatric bed that safely supports up to 1000 pounds and can be widened as needed. This bed can also be lengthened to fit a patient over 7 feet tall.
  

• Our new beds on med/surg hold up to 500 pounds and can be converted to cardiac chair mode.
  

• Slider boards, air mattresses and roller boards are used for safe transfer of bariatric patients.
  

Patient Beds

Jones Memorial Hospital has started replacing existing patient beds with beds that have up-to-date safety features. The new patient beds:

• were designed with siderails that meet FDA regulations regarding entrapment zones. An entrapment zone refers to the parts of the siderails where it is possible for the patient to become trapped. These beds were designed to prevent this situation.
  

• have a central braking system that is a great improvement over the individual wheel locks on the previous beds because all four wheels can be locked with one pedal.
  

• have automatic night lights on the bottom to provide light on the floor if the patient gets out of bed during the night.
  

• have attached IV poles.
  

• can be adjusted into a cardiac chair by dropping the foot of the bed to the floor if the patient cannot get out of bed.
  

• have mattresses with three zones which are made of foam with a different consistency at each of the major points - the head, the buttocks and the feet.
  

• have headboards that can be converted into CPR backboards in an emergency.
  

These beds were purchased through an endowment left to Jones Memorial Hospital by Lillian & Forrest Allen. For more information about how you can make a gift to Jones Memorial Hospital, contact Judy Burt.

Medication Reconciliation
Have you ever gone to your physician's office or the hospital emergency room and replied, "Well, I take a green one for my blood pressure and a pink one for my cholesterol," when asked if you are on any medications? If the answer is yes, you are not alone, but you could be in danger!
It is very important for everyone to have a complete, updated list of any medications – prescription, herbal and over-the-counter – with you when seeking healthcare.
The JMH Patient Safety Team has come up with a process to improve medication safety for hospital patients and all members of the community by improving medication reconciliation.

• All physicans and staff caring for the patient verify the medications on our new medication reconciliation form at admission, transfer and discharge.
  
• Because all medications are listed on one form, the physician in charge of the patient verifies that medications can be safely taken together and the list is complete.
  
• At discharge or transfer, each patient is given this written list of medications, including the reason they are on the medications.
  

This process is not something new - the nurses and doctors at Jones Memorial have always reviewed medications with the patient at discharge. However, it does provide written documentation of what medications patients should or should not take, all on one sheet. By using this form, patients experience less confusion at home about their medications. They will also be able to take the form to every healthcare provider and keep it updated.
For the convenience of community members who have not been in the hospital or those who have had changes to their medications, Jones Memorial has provided a Universal Medication Form. Follow this link, print out the form, fill it out and have it with you at all times. If you would like a form and do not have web access, please contact the Community Relations Department at (585) 596-4050.