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Understanding Healthcare
Avoiding Medical Errors
Avoiding Medical ErrorsThe hospital can be a busy place. Doctors, nurses, patient care technicians and other hospital personnel havemany patients to care for and jobs to get done.While you are in the hospital, you can be an active member of your own healthcare team to avoid medicalerrors.When you are admitted you will be given a wrist band. The information on this wrist band is important – doublecheck it to make sure your name and birth date are correct.Wear it at all times. Your healthcare team will check your wrist band every time you get medication or receivetreatment so it is important to have it on at all times.Some hospitals use color-coded wrist bands to indicate different medical conditions like allergies or fall risk, aswell as healthcare wishes like the wish to refuse certain medical treatments.Make sure the bands you are wearing are correct to avoid any medical mistakes. If the band you have isincorrect, have it changed immediately. It is for your safety.While you are in the hospital you may be prescribed new medications. Make sure you understand the purposeof any new medications you will be taking.Sometimes the pills you are given in the hospital may look different than the ones you are used to taking athome.It’s ok to ask what medications you are taking to make sure they are the right ones for you.For your safety it is also important that you understand any medical treatments or tests you are scheduled for.If you don’t understand the purpose or goal of a treatment, ask.Your healthcare provider will be happy to explain the procedure to you and help you understand why you needit.Everyone is nervous before surgery. One thing you can do to help avoid medical mistakes is to make sure thecorrect surgical site is identified to the surgeon.This way you can feel confident about your surgery and focus on your recovery.When you are in the hospital you should not feel out of control or that there is nothing you can do to avoidmedical mistakes. Remember to wear the correct wristband at all times, ask about your medications, andensure the correct surgical site is marked.These simple steps can go a long way to avoiding errors in the hospital.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.VER10055B EN AvoidingMedicalErrors.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 1
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