Knowledge is Your Best Defense Against Medical Error

Q:  I've been reading about the mistakes made by health care providers and all the deaths that have occurred as a result. I'm more than a little afraid of getting sick, for fear something might happen to me. Can you provide a little background, along with some suggestions, to lower my risk?

A:  A study released in November, 1999 by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences estimates that between 44,000 and 96,000 people die each year as a result of medical errors. The estimate is based on a review of errors made in a major teaching institution. This is not comforting news. There are many excuses for the problem, but in the final analysis, none are acceptable.

Here's what you can do:

• Know your own medical condition well. Keep a written list on a 3-by-5 inch card with all your conditions in appropriate medical terminology.
• Know the names and doses for all your medications and keep the list with you at all times on a 3-by-5 inch card. You may even want to ask your pharmacist or doctor to list both the generic (chemical) name as well as the trade name - for example Lasix and furosemide.
• Double-check all prescriptions. Make sure your doctor or nurse explains the medication by name, purpose and dose. Do the same with the pharmacist when you pick up the prescription.
• Don't be afraid to do a little research on the medications you or a family member are taking.
• Don't take medications that belong to someone else or that have expired. If you are hospitalized, ask to know the names of any medications being administered, whether by mouth, injection or intravenously. Ask about treatments and procedures as well.

The practice of medicine has become extremely complex. Although physicians still make the majority of the decisions, we appreciate and need the input of patients, their families and other health care providers.

This past fall, 100 key community and health care leaders participated in the first Wisconsin Patient Safety Summit at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The goal of this summit, sponsored by the Medical College and the National Patient Safety Foundation, was to produce a participant-supported action plan for acute care facilities in Wisconsin to improve patient safety and reduce health care errors.

"Your Health" provides easy-to-understand information about common health conditions.