Improve your Health Care with five steps
Developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the American Medical Association the following steps tell you what you can do to get safer health care.
This is in response to a 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine estimated that as many as 44,000 to 98,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year as the result of lapses in patient safety. Patient safety is now one of the Nation’s most pressing health care challenges. Some of the Steps include:
Step 2. Keep and bring a list of ALL the medicines you take. Give your doctor and pharmacist a list of all the medicines that you take, including non-prescription medicines. Tell them about any drug allergies you have. Ask about side effects and what to avoid while taking the medicine. Read the label when you get your medicine, including all warnings. Make sure your medicine is what the doctor ordered and know how to use it. Ask the pharmacist about your medicine if it looks different than you expected.
Step 3. Get the results of any test or procedure. Ask when and how you will get the results of tests or procedures. Don’t assume the results are fine if you do not get them when expected, be it in person, by phone, or by mail. Call your doctor and ask for your results. Ask what the results mean for your care.
