According to a new study published in the BMJ, medical errors now rank as the third leading cause of death in the U.S., with only heart disease and cancer accounting for more deaths. While I do believe the latest study overestimates deaths related to errors, it’s clear that these mistakes — ranging from patients being given the wrong medication or dose to missed diagnoses — profoundly impact patient outcomes and mortality rates.
These errors occur for reasons ranging from poor clinical judgment to inadequate communication between health providers. Besides putting patients in harm’s way, these mishaps contribute to rising health care costs.
[See: 5 Common Preventable Medical Errors.]
Patient safety and the elimination of medical errors are a top priority for physicians, and many health care institutions are putting in new protocols to avoid dangerous mistakes. However, as health care systems become larger and more complex and continuity of care seems to be more fragmented, I worry that the rate of medical errors may increase.
What Can Patients Do To Stay Safe?
To avoid catastrophic events while in the hospital, it’s vital that you take steps to ensure your safety and the safety of loved ones. Here are some ways you can help reduce the risk of medical errors:
1. When a doctor orders a test, make sure to ask about the reason for it and how it could change treatment as well as what’s involved, including risks. Though bloodwork, medical imaging like CT scans, and other diagnostic and screening tools can enhance the practice of medicine, frequently they’re overused and ordered when not necessary. Ask your doctor how the result of the test will change the treatment plan. If the test will have no bearing on your treatment or prognosis, then don’t have it done.
2. If a nurse gives you medicine to take — either by mouth or through your IV — ask for the name the medication and the dose you are to receive as well as why you’re being given the medicine. Don’t take any medicine until you get all your questions answered. If something does not seem right, speak with the doctor who ordered the medicine before proceeding.
[See: How to Help Aging Parents Manage Medications.]
3. Always ask your physician why a particular treatment was selected, and discuss alternatives. Doctors should choose treatments based on the best available data from clinical trials and their experience with a particular treatment protocol.
4. Research your doctor. Make sure your doctor has been board certified in his or her specialty and underwent training at a reputable academic institution. Make sure that your physician is clinically active. If undergoing sugery, consider whether the doctor does a high volume of procedures, since the more cases a doctors performs, the more experienced and skilled he or she is likely to be.
What Else Is Being Done to Address Medical Errors?
Medical errors are not something that physicians and health care institutions like to talk about, but it’s essential to analyze these mistakes. In the future, more emphasis will be given to quality assessment for both physicians and hospital systems. Insurance reimbursement models are now moving toward rewarding quality over quantity of work. Patient safety and elimination of medical errors have become a primary focus for most health care systems.
[See: 10 Lessons From Empowered Patients.]
Physicians must continue to place an emphasis on practicing evidence-based medicine, and those doctors who perform procedures and surgeries must be required to perform a minimum amount each year to remain skilled with the most current technologies. In addition, it’s important to improve communication between those who provide care and those who receive it. Ultimately, patient safety is a team effort — health care providers, hospitals and patients must all work together to reduce negative outcomes related to medical errors.
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Preventing Medical Errors: What You Need to Know originally appeared on usnews.com
