St. Antonius-Hospital Gronau sets an example for patient safety

To mark World Patient Safety Day on September 17, St. Antonius-Hospital Gronau is sending out a clear signal for more safety in everyday care. The entrance area of the hospital is illuminated in orange, making the importance of the topic visible to all visitors. Information material is also available. Trainees from the hospital’s nursing school had developed a so-called “room of error” in advance – a scenario in which typical errors at the patient’s bedside are made visible. In this practical training room, the participants had to recognize, among other things, if the patient was lying too low in bed, if there were air bubbles in the infusion, if the bed was not secured or if disinfectant was missing. A total of 17 potential sources of error were hidden in the scenario, which must be avoided in day-to-day care.

On September 20, visitors can experience the “Room of Error” live at the Gronau town festival in the pedestrian zone and go in search of errors themselves. St. Antonius-Hospital will have a stand there to provide information about typical sources of error, patient safety and the importance of careful care. The campaign was initiated by quality management and the nursing school at St. Antonius Hospital. “Patient safety is a top priority for us – especially in the training of our nursing staff,” says Head of School Sevgi Filiz. “With this campaign, we want to show how important it is to recognize potential risks and avoid mistakes in everyday nursing care.”

World Patient Safety Day takes place annually on September 17 and was launched by the WHO in 2019 to draw global attention to the importance of patient safety and promote joint action.

Photo: The Room of Error in a training room at St. Antonius Hospital in Gronau Visitors to the city festival can go in search of errors themselves.