By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    TBI: Some Surprising Statistics
    February 9, 2016
    Your Keys to Safer, Even More Secure Healthcare Cloud Services
    January 13, 2015
    4 Career Options in Healthcare Industry that Combine Big Data & Healthcare
    February 5, 2021
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Be Aware Before You Go to the Hospital
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Public Health > Be Aware Before You Go to the Hospital
Public Health

Be Aware Before You Go to the Hospital

Greenhouse Gnome
Greenhouse Gnome
Share
5 Min Read
Image
SHARE

Image

Image

“More Americans were dying every year from the care they received in hospitals, than from all the diseases put together that sent them to the hospital,” says Hon. Kathleen G. Sebelius, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, while reflecting on the landmark “To Err is Human” report of 1999. Since then some progress has been made, but not much. To improve your safety while hospitalized it’s important to assume some of the responsibility for your own care. Also, research shows that well-informed patients make better decisions about their care and are more likely to be satisfied with the results of their surgery.

Ask questions – Don’t ever be afraid to ask tough questions of your doctors. They should welcome your queries. If they respond with jargon or an answer that flies over your head, feel free to ask them to explain. Bring along a friend or family member to help you make sense of everything. That way there’s also less pressure to have to remember everything yourself.

More Read

Doctors and Their Patients: Commitments to Caring
Diabetes and Oncology at Doctors 2.0 & You
The Future of Healthcare Survey: Does it include Doctors?
How Ebola Spreads, and the Response from Public Health Officials
Ebola and the Bigger Patient Safety Issue

Download Having Surgery? – A guide written by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) that lists the major questions to ask, such as “What if I don’t have this operation?” and “What kind of anesthesia will I need?” as well as the reasons why you should ask these questions.

Get a second opinion – Most operations are non-emergencies, which gives you the time to ask questions and prepare for a safe procedure. Always take your time making the decision to have surgery and seek a second opinion before committing.

Choosing a surgeon and hospital – Ask your insurance provider whether you can choose your own surgeon or hospital or if you’re forced to select theirs. If you can choose, ask your doctor which hospital gets the best results for your particular condition. According to the AHRQ, surgeons or hospitals who perform a specific surgery often are more likely to yield better results.

Choose a patient advocate – If you can’t find a volunteer who is knowledgeable enough to provide decision-making assistance or has enough time to spend monitoring your situation, find a paid advocate. Search for a patient advocate in your area using the AdvoConnection website.

Improve safety with a checklist – SCOAP is a surgical checklist designed to prevent medical errors in hospitals. It’s your right to receive the safest care possible so ask if your hospital uses the SCOAP checklist. If not, you can find a hospital that does: www.surgicalchecklist.org. This service should come standard at no extra charge to you. Once finding the right hospital, confirm whether your surgeon uses the list. If not, print out the list from the website and give it to him.

Keep a medicine list – Keep a list of all the prescription and non-prescription medicines you take. Give that list to your doctor and tell him about any drug allergies or past adverse drug events that you have had.

Inform yourself about your condition –  Associations exist for pretty much all diseases out there and are a great source of patient information. Focus your search at the library, which has quality medical reference materials. The Internet is also a great resource if you find the right websites. To improve your odds of finding quality material online, use Healthfinder.

For more specific information about alternative treatments and for personal referrals, try finding organized groups of patients who have your condition. Ask around at your hospital or do a search online to find these groups.

photo courtesy linder6580

 

References:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Five Steps to Safer Health Care

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Having Surgery?

SCOAP: Surgical Checklist Initiative

 

Resources:

The Empowered Patient Coalition

Thomas R. Russell, MD, FACS I Need an Operation…Now What? (American College of Surgeons: Chicago, 2008)


TAGGED:patients
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Rite Aid Stores Hosts RV Tour For a Free Skin Cancer Screen

March 23, 2012
medicare
eHealthHealth ReformMedical RecordsPolicy & LawPublic Health

Medicare’s “Blue Button” Can Help You Track Care

May 18, 2013
obesity recognized as disease
Public Health

New Weight Loss Drugs Come to Market as AMA Recognizes Obesity as Disease

October 11, 2013

Of ACOs and the Over-imaging of Children

June 12, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?