Helping yourself
'What can patients do?" is one of the shortest chapters in Internal Bleeding, a riveting account of the impact of medical mistakes in hospitals. That's because coauthor Robert Wachter doesn't believe they can do much. "The notion that patients can protect themselves is a false reassurance," says the noted safety expert of the endless lists of tips and advice published elsewhere. "There's too much happening behind the curtain for you to catch."
Still, he does offer advice, such as: Slip-ups are more likely when you're moved from one part of the hospital to another, so always carry a list of your medications while hospitalized.
There's also a lesson in the care that Wachter and his wife took to line up friends and family to be at her side for every minute of the 48 hours after her planned surgery to donate a kidney to her best friend eight months ago. It's a sign of the times that the Joint Commission on Accreditation on Healthcare Organizations, the accrediting body for hospitals, considers that a good idea. Its "Speak Up" brochure (www.jcipatientsafety.org) counsels patients to have a trusted family member or friend with them--24 hours a day, for the entire stay.
This story appears in the July 18, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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