Patient Safety
Defining Patient Safety
It is a common refrain to hear that “safety is everyone’s responsibility,” but what does that mean for patients in Manitoba in connection with registered nurses and nurse practitioners?
Who is considered a patient?
The College would define a patient as anyone who seeks or receives care in Manitoba, including hospital patients, long-term care residents, home and community care clients and others across the care continuum.
What is the importance of patient engagement/advocacy?
Patient engagement in health care has increasingly been shown to be key to improving health outcomes and overall quality of life of patients and their families. As noted by the World Health Organization, it involves “active patient involvement both in [their] own health care and in the improvement of the health system.”
What is a patient safety incident?
According to Health Excellence Canada (HEC), a patient safety incident is an event or circumstance which could have resulted, or did result, in unnecessary harm to a patient.
What is the College’s role in supporting patient safety?
- The College supports patient safety by setting standards for registration as a registered nurse (RN) or nurse practitioner (NP), nursing education programs, and demonstration of continuing nursing competence.
- The College also supports RNs and NPs in meeting those standards through programs that support quality nursing practice.
- When a patient safety incident or other concern regarding RN and NP practice is identified, the College acts on those complaints/reports to address further risks to the public and deter professional misconduct. Any conditions placed on an RN or NP’s practice are visible on Nurse Check, our public registry. Formal censures or disciplinary decisions are published on our website.
It’s SAFE to Ask
It’s SAFE to Ask (Self-Advocacy For Everyone) is a health literacy campaign originally promoted by the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety that encourages patients and families to request the information they need in order to become active participants in their care.
It’s SAFE to Ask encourages patients to ask and discuss 3 key questions with healthcare providers:
- What is my health problem?
- What do I need to do?
- Why do I need to do this?
Additional resources
- Manitoba Health Patient Safety Framework
- Patients for Patient Safety Canada
- Health Excellence Canada
- Shared Health Manitoba
- Nurse Check – Check to see the registration status of an RN or NP