Keeping You Safe While in Our Care: Hand washing is a priority for all members of your healthcare team. Please clean your hands: After going to the bathroom Before eating Before and after touching any wound, incision, or dressing After touching body fluids or waste Maintaining a safe environment: All staff can be identified by an ID badge and will tell you what they are doing. Upon admission to the hospital or surgery center, an identification band will be placed on your wrist. Expect the staff to check it to identify who you are when having a procedure, medications, and blood draw. Expect staff to confirm the correct location of your surgery and mark the correct site. Nursing staff will remain at your bedside until you have taken all medication given to you. Please communicate all medication you are currently taking – prescriptions, over-the-counter supplements, vitamins, and herbs. Alert your provider and nurses about any allergies you may have. Why falls happen: Medications Unfamiliar surroundings Weakness, dizziness & unsteadiness Tips for preventing falls: Always use your call light to ask for staff assistance Ask for help if you feel dizzy, weak, or light-headed Wear non-skid slippers or shoes Walk slowly and carefully Do not lean or support yourself on a rolling object Place commonly used items within your reach Surgical Site Infection Prevention: Surgical site infections are preventable and the following guidelines aim at reducing your risk. How do I avoid getting a surgical site infection (SSI)? An SSI is an infection a patient can get during or after surgery. SSIs can happen on any part of the body where the surgery takes place and can sometimes involve only the skin. Other SSIs are more serious and can involve tissues under the skin, organs, or implanted material. These infections can make recovery from surgery more difficult because they can cause additional complications, stress, and medical cost. It is important that healthcare providers, patients, and loved ones work together to prevent these infections. How can you and your loved ones prevent surgical site infections? Before your surgery, discuss other health problems such as diabetes, with your doctor. These issues can affect your surgery and your treatment. QUIT smoking. Patients who smoke get more infections. Talk to your provider about how you can quit smoking. Follow your provider’s instructions for cleaning your skin before your surgery. For example, if your healthcare provider recommends using a special soap before surgery, make sure you do so. After surgery, follow the recommendations below to protect yourself against surgical site infection. Do not allow visitors to touch the surgical wound or dressings. Ask family and friends to clean their hands before and after visiting you. Make sure you understand how to care for your wound before you leave the medical facility. Always clean your hands before and after caring for your wound. Wear clean, loose-fitting clothes that will not rub or cause pressure on the surgical site. If you have any questions or experience symptoms of an infection, such as redness and pain at the surgery site, drainage, or fever, contact your provider immediately via the patient portal or by phone.