Practical Tips to Avoid Medical Errors in The Hospital

People don’t seem to realize how dangerous the hospital can be for a patient. As many as 98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year as a result of medical errors, according to an Institute of Medicine report. Some 99,000 people die each year from infections acquired in the hospital, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Here are the 5 tips:

1. Bring in a list of the medications you’re taking
2. Make sure the hospital gets your name right
3. Ask about every medication they give you
4. Make sure everyone washes hands
5. If you think something’s wrong, don’t back down

Let me add my own hospital safety tips:

• If you have a drug allergy, mention that fact each time you receive a medication.
• Request a current list of medications that you are receiving in the hospital each day (keep that medical student busy).
• If you’re not receiving a medication that you normally take at home, ask them about that! (how will you know this unless you have a list from home and you can compare that to your list in the hospital?)

If you’re having surgery on an arm/leg, make sure they mark the correct limb with a marker. You don’t want to wake up with the wrong limb missing!

Share/Save