Footscray Hospital’s cardiac care unit has been providing a more personal connection with patients, as part of a trial of a new program.
Western Health rolled out the trial of the Safewards initiative as part of the state government’s Safer Care Victoria program at Footscray Hospital in May, after the initiative was implement at Sunshine Hospital’s 2A ward late last year.
Western Health has become one of the first Victorian health services to formally introduce Safewards in general medical wards
The trials have included a number of strategies, including ‘Knowing Each Other’, which aims to encourage staff and patients to get to know each other better to establish a more personal relationship and introducing calming methods, such as the provision of iPads to patients to help keep them entertained and engaged during their time in hospital.
Western Health Safewards manager Elisa Illarda said the initiative aimed to reduce conflict and restrictive interventions and build on therapeutic relationships.
“The benefits of Safewards include improved safety for staff, as well as improved patient care and staff experience,” she said.
“Research into the ‘Knowing Each Other’ intervention supports the fact that when staff have a busy routine, finding the time to know more about their patient during an admission can be difficult.
“However, we know that building a therapeutic relationship can aide in a patient’s recovery and ease the fears and frustrations that can lead to aggression.”
Ms Illarda said the initiative was a simple way to break down the barriers between health providers and patients.
“When staff show their human, less clinical, side, and when staff are able to know the personal side of the patient, this can assist with everyone feeling more comfortable,” she said.
“It helps to create conversation topics and balances the colder side of a hospital experience.
“The ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ intervention is a quick way of staff and patients to build on these elements of humanising the hospital experience.”
