Patient Safety |
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While receiving care at UCSF Children's Hospital, your child's safety is our primary concern.
Many procedures are in place to protect your child's well-being and to secure the best medical outcome possible
for your child. However, as with any system, these safeguards are not completely error proof. By working with
your child's health care team, you can help us ensure a safer health care experience for you and your child.
Please let us know is something seems unsafe or you see something that we can do better.
We welcome your concerns and questions and encourage you to express them to your doctors, nurses and other
staff as they will know who to contact to correct the situation.
Call the Patient Safety Hotline at any time and anonymously report your safety concern:
Patient Safety Hotline (415) 353-8787
If you prefer, you may contact
Patient Relations at (415) 353-1936.
Steps You Can Take to Help Prevent Medical Errors
Medication Tips
Recognize your medication. If the medications your child is given do not look familiar,
speak up and alert the doctor or nurse. Do the same when picking up medication from the pharmacy. Make sure that all of your child's doctors know about everything your child is taking.
This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines as well as dietary supplements such as vitamins and herbs. Make sure your child's doctor and nurse know about any allergies and adverse reactions
your child has had to medications. When your child's doctor writes a prescription, make sure you can read it. Ask for information about your child's medicines in terms you can understand —
both when the medicines are prescribed and when you receive them.
Hospital Stays
Know your child's health care professionals. All UCSF Children's Hospital employees —
doctors, nurses and other staff — wear a photo identification badge while on duty. If you're not sure who
someone is or what their role is, please ask. Make sure your child's caregivers wash their hands if they perform any "hands on" procedures.
Evidence is overwhelming that washing your hands is the single most important thing that anyone — including
caregivers — can do to prevent the spread of infection. When your child is being discharged from the hospital, ask the doctor, nurse or pharmacist
to explain the treatment plan you will use at home.
Other Important Tips
If your child is having surgery, make sure that you, your child's doctor and the
surgeon all agree clearly on exactly what will be done. Make sure you know who is in charge of your child's care.
This is particularly important when many people are involved in treatment or when your child's has multiple
health problems. Speak up if you have questions or concerns. You have the right to know about your
child's care. We encourage you to discuss your questions and concerns with your child's doctor or
any member of the care team.
Please review our
Patient Safety Booklet to learn more.
If you have safety concerns that have not been resolved, you may contact
the administration of UCSF Children's Hospital:
Mark Laret
Chief Executive Officer
UCSF Children's Hospital
UCSF Medical Center
500 Parnassus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94143-0296
Phone (415) 353-2733
If you feel your concern about patient care or safety has not been adequately addressed
by UCSF Children's Hospital, you may contact the Office of Quality Monitoring of the Joint Commission
on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) by calling (800) 994-6610 or sending an email
to complaint@jcaho.org.
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