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THE BLUE GAZETTE
The Clinic
| Avoiding Medical Errors 
|
Medical errors are the stuff nightmares
are made of, not just for doctors, but
more especially for patients. Research
shows that 1 out of 10 patients falls
victim to hospital mistakes. While it is
true that medical facilities are required
to adhere to certain standards, this is
not a fail-proof guarantee against
medical errors. The responsibility to
ensure the safety of patients doesn’t
just lie with the doctors, patients
themselves must take an active role in
their healthcare. Patients need to be
both careful and smart about their
health. Patients should feel empowered
enough to ask their doctors questions
and have a good understanding of how
their local health system works.
Medical Errors Defined Medical errors can happen at different points in the medical system – in hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, even the patient’s home. Errors also involve different aspects of healthcare – from medicines to surgery, to lab reports, equipment, to diagnosis and medicines. Some errors result from the labyrinth of intricate health care systems. Sometimes they happen because of poor communication between doctor and patient. A medical error is exactly as the name suggests – somewhere, somehow, a mistake is made. Something happens that was never meant to be part of the patient’s medical care, resulting in adverse health results for the patient. Some Tips to Help You Avoid Medical Errors 1. Be an active member of your own healthcare. Don’t leave everything to the doctor. Participate in the decisions made about your health. Ask questions when you don’t understand something. Share information you have with your doctor. Have an open line of communication with your healthcare professionals. 2. Be honest about the medicines you’re taking. Tell your doctor the honest-to-goodness truth about your medical history. This includes being upfront about prescription and over-thecounter medicines, vitamins, and other dietary supplements you may have taken. Doing this gives your doctor access to the correct information, allowing him to come up with a better and correct medical care plan for you. 3. Tell your doctor if you can’t understand his handwriting. The doctor’s handwriting being as legible as a chicken scribble has been a running joke for years. However, not being able to understand important details about medicine labels and dosages is no laughing matter. If you can’t understand your doctor’s penmanship, the pharmacist might not be able to either. Source: Filipino Reporter, October 31 to November 6, 2008 issue |
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