Any patient in the Santa Fe area who is seeing a health care provider for an annual exam or routine care, or for a serious medical procedure, should be able to expect that the health care provider will perform any necessary medical tasks with care and skill. Yet medical malpractice results in injuries more often than you might think. According to a report from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, about one out of every five Americans reports that they have experienced some type of medical error while receiving health care, although many of those mistakes did not result in harm. About 36% of those reporting an experience of a medical error indicated that they suffered an injury as a result of the health care provider’s negligent care.
While the burden should never be on patients to prevent medical mistakes, it is important for any patient to know that there are steps you can take to help prevent a medical error that results in a serious injury while you are receiving care. The following are important tips from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Tips for Patients to Avoid Medical Errors and Injuries
What steps can patients take to help avoid experiencing harm from a medical mistake? Consider the following:
- Medication mistakes: You should check with any health care provider to ensure that they have accurate information about the medications you are currently taking and that you have a full understanding of any new medications that are prescribed. When a health care provider prescribes a new drug, you should ask questions until you know the exact dosage, the name and generic information for the drug, potential interactions and side effects, whether you should avoid any activities or foods while using the medication, and what you should do if you miss a dose or accidentally take too much of the drug.
- Surgical errors: Whenever you are having a surgical procedure, you should speak with the surgeon in advance to ensure that you are both in agreement about the precise surgical procedure being done and which part of the body will be operated on. For example, if you are having surgery on your left shoulder, be sure that your surgeon properly identifies your left shoulder (and not your right shoulder) for the injury. If you are able to do so, it is also important to have a surgical procedure done at a facility where the same and similar procedures are performed regularly.
- Hospital errors: When you are staying in the hospital, you should feel comfortable asking health care providers if they have washed their hands and about procedures for infection control. You should also ask any questions you have about post-operation procedures and hospital discharge instructions.
Contact a Santa Fe Lawyer About Filing a Claim for Medical Malpractice Injuries
Regardless of whether you took steps to prevent a medical mistake, you can hold a health care provider accountable for any injuries that result from a medical error. One of our experienced Santa Fe medical malpractice attorneys can speak with you today about your case and your options for filing a claim. Contact Slate Stern Law to learn more.