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By Todd
A. Smith*
This week
(March 6-12) is National Patient Safety Awareness Week. And
in the wake of the FDA’s recent announcement that the drug
Vioxx may have caused 140,000 cases of heart disease, it’s
more important than ever that we focus attention on the enormous
problem of medical errors.
An estimated
22.8
million people have experienced a medical error of some kind,
personally or through a family member. The Institute of Medicine
reports that as many as 98,000 deaths every year are due to
preventable medical mistakes.
That’s
why the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) created patient
safety week, to bring attention to this issue, and to educate
patients and physicians in order to make health care safer.
So how can
patients protect themselves? What it basically comes down to
is: Speak up. The NPSF advises patients to keep asking questions
until they understand the often-complicated medical information
given to them by their doctors.
If you’re
having surgery:
- Always
get a second opinion.
- Don’t
be afraid to ask the doctor how long he’s been performing
a particular procedure, and how many he’s done.
- Consider
taking along a friend or family member to serve as an “advocate”
to help ask questions and be with you through all phases of
treatment.
Errors with
prescription drugs represent one of the major causes of preventable
death in this country. You can greatly reduce your risk by following
a few simple precautions.
- With
any medication, read the label carefully, double check that
the prescription was filled correctly, and follow the dosage.
- Let your
physician know any other medications you’re on, and immediately
report any adverse reactions.
- Medication
remains fully potent for only about a year. This week, go
through your medicine cabinet and throw out all medicines
older than a year, regardless of the expiration date.
Patients
can and should take greater control over their own care, but
ultimately, the health care industry and the FDA need serious
improvement as well. The NPSF has some prescriptions for health
care providers too: Listen to your patients, speak in simple
terms, and encourage patients to be a partner in their own treatment.
As Congress
debates whether to limit compensation for innocent victims of
medical negligence, they should remember that the best way to
reduce the number of medical malpractice claims is to fix the
cause of those claims – medical errors. Patients’
rights and consumer advocates are pushing Congress to pass some
common-sense reforms to do just that.
- Families
Right To Know Act. Require doctors and hospitals to disclose
mistakes resulting in injuries to patients.
- Dangerous
Side Effect Drug Disclosure Act. Require the FDA and pharmaceutical
companies to make public all research findings – including
all adverse reactions and studies that show dangerous side
effects.
- Provide
federal funding to make sure doctors and hospitals have state-of-the-art
patient management technology to prevent errors.
When it
comes to reducing medical errors, patients and doctors needn’t
be adversaries. Working together we can take sensible reforms
that will make health care safer and more affordable for all
of us. This is as good a week as any to start.
For more
information on National Patient Safety Week, visit http://www.npsf.org/html/psaw/.
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