At Duke University Health System, we pledge to provide you with the highest quality health care and to maintain a safe environment. Here are a few examples of ways we strive to ensure safe, quality care for every patient we serve.

Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)

Researchers at Duke are conducting thousands of clinical trials and outcomes studies each year to prove which medications, procedures, and devices are most effective. The results of research studies are then translated at the bedside and included in quality patient care.

Preventing Mistakes

To prevent medical errors, Duke physicians and nurses are taking advantage of the latest technological advancements. Some of these are:

• Computerized physician order entry (CPOE), an electronic system that replaces hand-written physician orders to improve order accuracy and provides order advisers to guide prescribing decisions.
• Risk and Safety Management Alert System (RASMAS), a Web-based subscription service that provides comprehensive notification of product alerts and supports distribution and management of the health system’s response to the alerts.

Teaming Up to Improve Care

Each hospital, home health, hospice, and physician group has at least one -- and often more -- team that focuses on clinical quality and patient safety.

These teams are led in many instances by pairs of physicians and nursing/administrative leaders. The teams conduct patient safety rounds in conjunction with their organization’s executives interviewing staff and physicians about their perspectives on clinical quality and patient safety.

Issues are discussed at the team meetings along with concerns identified through other avenues. Priorities are established and plans to resolve issues are developed and executed. Each team’s activities are reported through the performance improvement infrastructure at their organization and up to the governing body for the organization.

Engaging Patients and Families in Safety

We partner with patients and families to ensure safe passage through the care experience.

Patients and families are asked to provide their health care team with a complete list of medications -- prescription, over the counter, and nutritional supplements -- on admission and during clinic appointments.

Patients and families are asked to participate in decisions about their care through discussions with their health care team. You can further inform the team of your desires by completing an advance directive.

Partners in Safety: Keeping You Safe

Watch a video about patient safety precautions at Duke University Hospital, Durham Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital.

(View the Spanish version of the video.)

Responding to Patient Concerns

We want each patient’s experience to be a positive one but we recognize this will not always be the case. That is why we encourage you to contact us with concerns.

See a full list of Duke's initiatives to improve the quality and safety of our care