Protect Yourself From Medical Errors

Medical errors are one of the nation’s leading causes of injury and death. Every year, 50,000 to 100,000 Americans die because of such errors. They can involve medicines, surgery, diagnosis, equipment and lab reports.

The following recommendations can help prevent these errors from occurring.

Be involved

Research shows people who are involved with their health care are less likely to experience errors.

To stay engaged:

• Tell each of your doctors about every medicine or alternative remedy you take.

• Each time you see a doctor, take along the medications you’ve been taking in their original containers and ask him or her to check for duplicate or conflicting prescriptions.

• Make sure your doctors know about any allergies and adverse reactions you’ve had to medicines.

• When your doctor writes a new prescription, ask the brand name, generic name, purpose, dosage, why you’re taking it and when and how long to take it. Learn what side effects to watch for, if the medicine has dangerous interactions with other drugs and if you should avoid certain activities.

• Learn about your condition by asking your doctor, nurse and consulting other reliable sources.

Be alert at the hospital

Many medical errors happen in hospitals. Here's how to prevent them:

• Ask a family member or friend to be there to monitor your care, medication use and safety.

• Make sure all doctors and nurses involved in your care have your personal health information.

• Make sure nurses always check your patient identification bracelet before giving you any medication.

• Be sure you, your doctor and your surgeon agree on exactly what will be done if you’re having surgery.

• Ask the name and purpose of every drug you’re given. If you are given a medicine that looks different from what you’re used to, speak up immediately.

Be proactive with your pharmacist

A study by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences found that 88 percent of medicine errors involved the wrong drug or the wrong dosage.

To prevent medication errors:

• Ask questions about the directions on your medicine labels.

• Read the patient information sheet that comes with your prescription medications.

• Speak up if you get a medication refill and the packaging or product looks different than usual. You may have been given the wrong medication.

Be careful at home

• Read the label before taking any drug to make sure you’re taking the right medication at the right dose.

• Don’t take a drug that has expired or that smells or looks “off.”

Paying attention and asking questions is the best way to protect yourself from medical errors.