Five
Steps to Safer Health Care
The
following information was provided by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Patient
safety is one of the Nation's most pressing health care challenges. A recent
report by the Institute of Medicine estimates that as many as 44,000 to 98,000
people die in U.S. hospitals each year as the result of lapses in patient
safety.
This
fact sheet tells what you can do to get safer health care.
This
fact sheet was developed by Federal agencies in the Quality Interagency
Coordination (QuIC) Task Force, in partnership with other health care purchasers
and providers. The QuIC and its public- and private-sector partners are all
working together to make the U.S. health care system safer for patients and the
public.
1.
Speak up if you have questions or concerns. Choose a doctor who you feel
comfortable talking to about your health and treatment. Take a relative or
friend with you if this will help you ask questions and understand the answers.
It's okay to ask questions and to expect answers you can understand.
2.
Keep a list of all the medicines you take. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about
the medicines that you take, including over-the-counter medicines such as
aspirin, ibuprofen, and dietary supplements like vitamins and herbals. Tell them
about any drug allergies you have.
Ask
the pharmacist about side effects and what foods or other things to avoid while
taking the medicine. When you get your medicine, read the label, including
warnings. Make sure it is what your doctor ordered, and you know how to use it.
If the medicine looks different than you expected, ask the pharmacist about it.
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