Patient safety

Doctor helping patient walk.

Although estimates vary, as many as 251,000 people a year die in U.S. hospitals due to medical errors, also called Preventable Adverse Events (PAEs).

 

Take an active role in every decision about your health care. If needed, have a family member or friend oversee your care.

 

“Wrong-site” surgery includes operating on the wrong person, the wrong organ, or the wrong limb.

 

Before you are taken into surgery, make sure the surgery is the one scheduled for you. Mark the body part to be operated on, too. Use the marker, etc. the doctor gives you to do this.

 

Find out about patient safety from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement at ihi.org and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality at ahrq.gov.

This website is not meant to substitute for expert medical advice or treatment. Follow your doctor’s or health care provider’s advice if it differs from what is given in this guide.

 

The American Institute for Preventive Medicine (AIPM) is not responsible for the availability or content of external sites, nor does AIPM endorse them. Also, it is the responsibility of the user to examine the copyright and licensing restrictions of external pages and to secure all necessary permission.

 

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