Making
Wise Health Decisions
Throughout your life you will make decisions for your health. The daily
lifestyle habits you choose and the decisions you make with your doctor will
influence your overall well being and quality of care. Common goals, shared
effort, and clear communication are the basis of a good doctor-patient
relationship. You can make wise health care decisions working in partnership
with your doctor.
Be Involved in Your Health Care
Adopt good health
habits and get regular check ups.
Prepare for your
doctor's visit.
Communicate
clearly and honestly with your doctor.
If you are not
satisfied with the quality of your care, you have the right to discuss it
with your doctor, change doctors or get a second opinion.
20 Tips to Help Prevent
Medical Errors *
1. The single most important way you can help to prevent errors is to
be an active member of your health care team. This means taking part in
every decision about your health care. Research shows that patients who are
more involved with their care tend to get better results.
Medicines
2. Make sure that all of your doctors know about every medicine you are
taking. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and
dietary supplements such as vitamins and herbs.
• At least once a year, bring all of your medicines and supplements with
you to your doctor. "Brown bagging" your medicines can help you
and your doctor talk about them and find out if there are any problems. It
can also help your doctor keep your records up to date, which can help you
get better quality care.
3. Make sure your doctor knows about any allergies and adverse reactions
you have had to medicines.
4. When your doctor writes a prescription, make sure you can read it.
If you can't read your doctor's handwriting, your pharmacist might not be
able to either.
5. Ask for information about your medicines in terms you can
understand-both when your medicines are prescribed and when you receive
them.
• What is the medicine for?
• How am I supposed to take it, and for how long?
• What side effects are likely? What do I do if they occur?
• Is this medicine safe to take with other medicines or dietary
supplements I am taking?
• What food, drink, or activities should I avoid while taking this
medicine?
6. When you pick up your medicine from the pharmacy, ask: Is this the
medicine that my doctor prescribed? A study by the Massachusetts College of
Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences found that 88 percent of medicine errors
involved getting the wrong drug or the wrong dose at the pharmacy.
7. If you have any questions about the directions on your medicine
labels, ask. Medicine labels can be hard to understand. For example, ask if
"four doses daily" means taking a dose every 6 hours around the
clock or just during regular waking hours.
8. Ask your pharmacist for the best device to measure your liquid
medicine. Also, ask questions if you're not sure how to use it.
• Research shows that many people do not understand the right way to
measure liquid medicines. For example, many use household teaspoons, which
often do not hold a true teaspoon of liquid. Special devices, like marked
syringes, help people to measure the right dose. Being told how to use the
devices helps even more.
9. Ask for written information about the side effects your medicine
could cause.
• If you know what might happen, you will be better prepared if it
does-or, if something unexpected happens instead. That way, you can report
the problem right away and get help before it gets worse.
Hospital Stays
10. If you have a choice, select a hospital at which many patients have
the procedure or surgery you need.
• Research shows that patients tend to have better results when they are
treated in hospitals that have a great deal of experience with their
condition.
11. If you are in a hospital, consider asking all health care workers
who have direct contact with you whether they have washed their hands.
• Hand washing is an important way to prevent the spread of infections in
hospitals. Yet, it is not done regularly or thoroughly enough. A recent
study found that when patients checked whether health care workers washed
their hands, the workers washed their hands more often and used more soap.
12. When you are being discharged from the hospital, ask your doctor to
explain the treatment plan you will use at home. This includes learning
about your medicines and finding out when you can get back to your regular
activities.
• Research shows that at discharge time, doctors think their patients
understand more than they really do about what they should or should not do
when they return home.
Surgery
13. If you are having surgery, make sure that you, your doctor, and
your surgeon all agree and are clear on exactly what will be done.
• Doing surgery at the wrong site (for example, operating on the left knee
instead of the right) is rare. But even once is too often. The good news is
that wrong-site surgery is 100 percent preventable. The American Academy of
Orthopedic Surgeons urges its members to sign their initials directly on the
site to be operated on before the surgery.
Other Steps You Can Take
14. Speak up if you have questions or concerns. You have a right to
question anyone who is involved with your care.
15. Make sure that someone, such as your personal doctor, is in
charge of your care. This is especially important if you have many health
problems or are in a hospital.
16. Make sure that all health professionals involved in your care
have important health information about you. Do not assume that everyone
knows everything they need to.
17. Ask a family member or friend to be there with you and to be your
advocate (Someone who can help get things done and speak up for you if you
can't). Even if you think you don't need help now, you might need it later.
18. Know that "more" is not always better. It is a good
idea to find out why a test or treatment is needed and how it can help you.
You could be better off without it.
19. If you have a test, don't assume that no news is good news. Ask
about the results.
20. Learn about your condition and treatments by asking your doctor
and nurse and by using other reliable sources.
* Internet Citation: 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors: Patient Fact
Sheet. AHRQ Publication No. 00-PO38, February 2000. Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20tips.htm
learning how to identify reliable information is important. Discussing the
health advice you find on the Internet with your health provider is always a
good idea.