Take Charge To Avoid Mistakes

They kill between 44,000 and 98,000 people in the United States each year. More Americans die from them than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer or AIDS. What are they? Mistakes.

Errors in medication, surgery, diagnosis, diagnostic equipment and lab reports can lead to patient death. A hospitalized patient on a salt-free diet is given high-salt meals. A pharmacist misinterprets a doctor's handwriting and gives a patient the wrong medication. A surgeon performs wrong-site surgery, operating on a left leg instead of the right. Many people fear hospitalization and even visits to the doctor for just this reason.

Research shows that there is a solution to this problem - and it's right in your own hands. Patients who ask questions and become involved in their own health care tend to get the most satisfying results. The reason? With the complexity of today's health care system, good communication between patients and their doctors is a must.

If patients don't understand their diagnoses, available options or treatment plans, they are less likely to become involved in the process. An uninformed patient is less likely to accept the doctor's choice of treatment or to do what it takes to make that treatment work. The key is for patients to find doctors with whom they are comfortable and can communicate. If patients can ask questions, understand the available choices and help plan their treatment, they are less likely to become victims of medical error.

How can you prevent medical error?

• Be an active member of your own health care team. Take part in every decision that has to do with your health and you'll get better results.

• Make sure you tell your doctor every medication you are taking (including over-the-counter medications) so your doctor will not prescribe anything that interacts with your present medications.

• Inform your doctor of any drug allergies you may have.

• If your doctor writes a prescription, ask for information about the medication. Ask how to take it and how long to take it. Also ask about side effects and possible interactions with other medications you are taking.

• When you pick up your prescription, double check that it is the medication the doctor prescribed. A recent study found that 88 percent of medication errors occur when pharmacists provide the wrong drug or the wrong dose.

• If you're going to be hospitalized, try to choose a hospital whose doctors often perform the type of surgery you are having. Research shows that patients have better results when treated at hospitals where surgeons have extensive experience performing that type of operation.

• In the hospital, ask all health care workers who have direct contact with you if they have washed their hands. Handwashing is not done regularly or thoroughly enough. A recent study found that when patients asked health care workers this question, the workers washed their hands more often and used more soap.

• 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. Having surgery performed at the wrong site is rare, but does happen. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations mandates marking the correct site prior to surgery. It may ease your mind to ask that this be done while you are awake and alert.

• Speak up if you have questions or concerns. You have the right to question anyone who is involved in your care.

• While in the hospital, make sure that someone, such as your personal doctor or an attending physician, is in charge of your care. This is important, especially if you have more than one health problem.

• Ask a family member or good friend to be with you and to be your advocate. This may be necessary if you need someone to speak up for you when you can't.

• Know that 'more' is not always better. Just because a test or treatment is recommended doesn't mean it is necessary. You may be better off without it. Find out why your doctor has asked for it.

• Don't assume that no news is good news. If you have a test, ask about the results. If no one calls you with the results, call your doctor.

• Learn about your condition and treatments by asking your doctor and by using other reliable sources. Ask your doctor if your treatment is based on the latest evidence. Go to the National Guidelines Clearinghouse for more information on the most recent treatment recommendations.

Related Articles The 'Other' Drug Problem Is Your Doctor Clear? Choosing a Doctor

External Sources National Guidelines Clearinghouse The National Patient Safety Foundation

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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