Why Most Medical Malpractice Victims Never Recover a Dime - Part 20

Surviving Your Health Care

You can do many things to prevent becoming a malpractice victim in the first place.  Here are some protective measures to think about.

• 1. Volume matters. The more of a particular type of surgery the institution and the surgeon does, the more likely the surgery will have a good outcome. Ask your surgeon how many surgeries he or she does each year, and how many of them are the particular procedure intended for you. If you have doubts, ask for a referral to a surgeon with a high volume practice in your particular surgery. Don't be embarrassed to have this discussion.
• 2. Ask your surgeon whether your hospital is "state of the art" or follows "best practices" for surgical site infection prevention, and hand hygiene compliance. Surgical site infections are a huge problem and 50% of them are preventable. Surgeons who get enough questions like this will put pressure on administration to do better. And your surgeon may pay more attention to protecting you.
• 3. Check RateMDs.com. Most doctors practicing in Newfoundland and Labrador are reviewed by this site. Take the reviews with a grain of salt, because some are from people with an axe to grind, and some are unfair. But this is a useful source of information to look at in your quest for the safe healthcare to which you are entitled.
• 4. If you have an important test, never assume that everything is fine because if not you would have heard from the doctor. Always follow up and confirm the results after a reasonable period. Doctors are very busy and only human. The purpose of a test is to take timely action if it shows a problem. Don't let your test results fall through the cracks.
• 5. If you have a prescription, and you know it's for you and that the drug is the one your doctor intends, take it.
• 6. In the hospital, although the prescription-writing and dispensing functions will take place outside your view, you will see the medication when it's brought to you. Before you take it, ask the nurse what it is and what it's for - even if you think you know.
• 7. When you go to the doctor's office - particularly a specialist who is not your regular physician - or to the hospital, take a list of all of your current medications, including any over-the-counter medications and herbal remedies or dietary supplements that you use regularly.
• 8. During an office visit, most doctors hand you a written prescription when you leave. Check it before you walk out the door. If you can't understand it, the pharmacist might not either.
• 9. Introduce yourself (and reintroduce yourself) to anyone taking care of you during your hospital stay.
• 10. Ask questions politely and persist until they're answered. If you are transported to a different location, ask the nurse if your chart will go with you and make sure your new caregivers are aware of your allergies, medications, and the condition for which you are being treated.
• 11. It helps to have visitors. This not only takes your mind off your illness, at least briefly, but it shows caregivers that other people are aware of your case, are interested in your wellbeing, and are going to check up on you.
• 12. Healthcare providers or anyone administering injections should never reuse a needle or syringe either from one patient to another or to withdraw medicine from a vial. Both needle and syringe are to be thrown away once they have been used. It is not safe just to change the needle and reuse the syringe.
• 13. When nearing discharge or transfer to a new facility, get a list of your current medications, and make sure the caregivers at your new location know about them.

Remember that you are the reason the hospital exists.  Your wellbeing is, and should be, everyone's highest concern.  But hospitals, frankly, are risky places, and no matter what precautions a patient and their family takes, the medical malpractice monster can strike.