Brock University students Brooke Latour (left) and Avinder Saini participated in Canadian Patient Safety Week activities through the I-EQUIP program, which supports Niagara Health's commitment to safe, high-quality care.
When Brooke Latour first thought about patient safety, she pictured the obvious things: preventing falls, reducing infections and avoiding harm.
However, after spending a week at the Marotta Family Hospital through Brock University’s I-EQUIP program, her definition is much broader.
“Patient safety isn’t just physical safety,” says Latour. “It’s about making sure patients feel heard, respected and supported throughout their hospital journey.”
It’s a lesson the fourth-year Medical Sciences student has learned firsthand while helping support activities for Canadian Patient Safety Week, alongside fellow Brock student Avinder Saini.
The pair are among a group of students participating in the Interprofessional Education for Quality Program (I-EQUIP), a year-long course offered by Brock University that connects students with local healthcare organizations to gain practical experience in quality improvement and patient-centred care.
For Latour, who is from Windsor and hopes to pursue a career in optometry, the opportunity was appealing because it offered something she couldn’t get in a classroom.
“I wanted to do something meaningful in the Niagara community,” she says. “It’s one thing to learn about healthcare in school, but it’s another thing entirely to see how an organization works behind the scenes to improve care for patients.”
Throughout the week, students connected directly with frontline team members, sparking conversations about hand hygiene, medication safety, transitions in care, fall prevention and health equity. They also helped create educational videos, interactive games and awareness activities designed to engage staff and reinforce the important role everyone plays in delivering safe, high-quality care.
Latour says conversations with frontline teams revealed just how many people contribute to a safe patient experience.
“There’s so much collaboration involved,” she says. “I realized that patient safety isn’t owned by one department or role. Everyone has a part to play.”
Saini, a fourth-year Public Health student with minors in Psychology and Gender Studies, says the experience added an entirely new dimension to her understanding of healthcare.
“I learned that patient safety starts long before someone receives treatment,” she says. “It’s about communication, infection prevention, respecting patient preferences and making sure people have the information they need. There are so many pieces that contribute to a positive patient experience.”
Working alongside Niagara Health teams also strengthened her appreciation for the complexity of care.
Patient safety isn’t owned by one department or role.
Everyone has a part to play.
“You see how much thought goes into every process and decision,” she says. “Everyone is working towards the same goal of providing the safest and best care possible.”
Madelyn Law, Director of Quality, Patient Safety and Risk at Niagara Health and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Brock University says exposing students to this work early in their careers is one of the program’s greatest strengths.
“Patient safety and quality improvement are foundational to everything we do at Niagara Health,” she says. “Programs like I-EQUIP allow students to see those concepts in action while contributing to meaningful work that supports our teams and our patients.”
Law says students bring valuable perspectives and fresh ideas while gaining insight into the realities of healthcare.
“These experiences help students understand that patient safety is everyone’s responsibility,” she says. “As future healthcare professionals, they will carry those lessons with them wherever their career takes them.”
For both students, the experience has left a lasting impression.
"Patient safety isn't one person's responsibility," says Saini. "It's something that takes everyone working together, and that's what I've seen at Niagara Health. Every role, every interaction and every decision contributes to creating a safer experience for patients and families."
Canadian Patient Safety Week, which took place from October 26 to 30, is an annual national campaign that raises awareness about patient safety and inspires action to improve the quality and safety of healthcare.
