| During the period of 2000 to 2003, 195,000 people | | | | any of this, find another doctor. But don't bounce |
| died each of these years as a direct result of medical | | | | around back and forth between doctors. They won't |
| error. That's the equivalent of 390 jumbo jets full of | | | | fail to recognize this, and even the best of them will |
| people crashing into the remote regions of Antarctica | | | | rapidly lose interest in you. Doctors are human, after |
| each year with no hope of rescue for any survivors. | | | | all. |
| This information comes from a Health Grades study | | | | 3. Before you put on that paper gown, research the |
| conducted in 2004, which disputes earlier studies | | | | doctor. |
| yielding much more anemic statistics. | | | | 4. This is important! Keep close track of your medical |
| And just recently, when asked, Dr Samantha Collier, | | | | history. Your doctor cannot possibly know everything |
| vice president for medical affairs at Health Grades, | | | | about you, so provide as full a recap of your medical |
| said that "there is little evidence that patient safety | | | | history as you can. Be sure to include any family |
| has improved over the last five years. Besides the | | | | history of illness. |
| loss of life, the cost of medical errors in terms of lost | | | | 5. Double check any diagnosis. There are thousands |
| income and production, disability, and health care now | | | | of diagnoses, but the average doctor only sees |
| totals $17 to $29 billion annually. | | | | about 250 of them in the course of a career. So |
| Surgical gaffes like amputating the wrong leg make | | | | don't be afraid to remind your doctor of the |
| headlines, but we rarely hear of the mountain of | | | | existence of other possibilities that may align with |
| other mistakes that occur in hospitals on a daily basis. | | | | your condition. |
| Delays in diagnosis are a big problem, keeping a | | | | 6. Understand that your doctor can make mistakes! |
| patient from receiving timely treatment. Incorrectly | | | | Don't be afraid to ask for a second opinion! If the |
| administered medications are another common | | | | doctor balks, find another doctor. |
| medical error, as are the wrong prescriptions being | | | | 7. When you get a prescription, start asking |
| dispensed. Fatal chemotherapy overdoses occur and | | | | questions. What is it supposed to do? How does it |
| patients under anesthesia die regularly. | | | | work? Older patients especially are at risk here |
| While the present volume of medical errors is | | | | because many are on multiple medications and it is |
| intolerable, the situation is eminently fixable. And the | | | | important that these drugs do not conflict with each |
| medical profession is feverishly applying itself to do | | | | other. The doctor needs to know exactly what the |
| so. Many safeguards to reduce the likelihood of | | | | patient is taking! Hurried doctors often overlook |
| medical errors have already been implemented. | | | | these details and it is up to the patient to guard |
| Hospitals are beginning to use computerized | | | | against inadvertently receiving the wrong, or |
| prescriptions to ensure that pharmacists don't | | | | inappropriate medication.. Get very clear and detailed |
| misread doctors' notoriously poor handwriting. Many | | | | instructions from the doctor - don't rely on the |
| doctors themselves are generating their prescriptions | | | | pharmacist for this - and do not be afraid to ask |
| by computer. That's a start. | | | | questions. Lots of them. Get informed! If the doctor |
| Anesthesiologists are demanding standardization of | | | | won't answer, or hurries through, find another doctor. |
| anesthesia equipment. The Food and Drug | | | | After all, he's billing out his time at about twelve |
| Administration is tightening its control of drug names | | | | hundred bucks an hour. |
| to ensure that newly introduced drugs do not bear | | | | 8. To avoid being the victim of an especially serious |
| names that could be confused with drugs already in | | | | medical error, be sure your surgeon knows where to |
| use. Congress has passed legislation ordering the | | | | cut! Ask your surgeon to mark the incision while |
| Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to hunt | | | | you're awake. Make sure you receive an antibiotic |
| for strategies to reduce medical errors. | | | | within one hour of surgery. |
| This is all fine and good. But what is the average | | | | 9. Have a friend or family member along for every |
| patient to do to ensure his own safety when seeking | | | | major procedure. This person should be thoroughly |
| medical care? With health care being a decade behind | | | | familiar with the issue and in a position to remind |
| other high risk industries in improving safety, it's | | | | medical personnel of any potential problems that |
| important for every patient to be proactive in | | | | could be overlooked. |
| monitoring his own health care situation. Those who | | | | 10. Don't accept any invasive procedures simply on |
| are too sick to do this themselves need to enlist the | | | | the say so of your doctor. Discuss the alternatives. |
| help of a family member or close friend. The good | | | | Press for them! Many times the alternatives out |
| old days of simply putting yourself into the hands of | | | | there are acceptable, even preferable. Don't overlook |
| your doctor are over. Here are some ways to | | | | them. |
| protect against medical errors: | | | | Finally, always bear in mind that your doctor is more |
| | | | than likely to be following the counsel of a |
| 1. Get the right doctor! Many women, for example, | | | | pharmaceutical sales representative when prescribing |
| go to their gynecologist for answers to all sorts of | | | | a medication. This individual dispenses information |
| maladies. Specialists are specialists for a reason. | | | | which is in the best interest of the company, not the |
| 2. Don't schedule multiple appointments with multiple | | | | doctor, not the patient. You know your own body |
| doctors. None of them will get to know you. Stay | | | | better than anyone else. Accept that. Stay tuned to |
| with one doctor until it becomes obvious that you're | | | | the effects of any medication prescribed for you and |
| not communicating. Then don't hesitate to find | | | | question anything that doesn't feel right. Talk to your |
| another. And always evaluate the depth of attention | | | | doctor, and if your doctor won't listen, find another |
| given to your concerns and the thoroughness of the | | | | doctor. |
| answers you receive. If you're uncomfortable with | | | | |