Patient Safety

LifeWise has selected a patient fact sheet titled, “Five Steps to Safer Healthcare”*, to educate members about steps they can take to have a more active role in promoting safe care for themselves. It encourages patients to communicate directly with their physicians or providers. The fact sheet was developed by federal agencies in the Quality Interagency Coordination (QuIC) Task Force working with other healthcare purchasers, physicians and providers.

The Five Steps 

Keep these steps in mind when communicating with patients. Here is a summary of the fact sheet, which speaks directly to the patient about the following issues and encourages patients to do the following:

1. Speak up if they have questions or concerns and bring a relative or friend in with them if it will help them ask questions and understand the answer.
2. Keep a list of all the medicines they take and:  
3. Tell the doctor and the pharmacist about any drugs they take or allergies they may have.
4. Ask the pharmacist about side effects and foods or other things to avoid while taking this drug.
5. Check the label to be sure they have the right medication before leaving the pharmacy
6. Get the results of any test or procedure, and ask the doctor or nurse when and how they will get the results and what the results mean for their care.
7. Talk with the doctor and healthcare team about the options, if they need hospital care. If a patient has more than one hospital to choose from, find out which one has the best care and results for the condition. Before they leave the hospital, be sure they understand about follow-up care and any instructions.
8. Make sure they understand what will happen if they need surgery. The doctor, the surgeon and the patient should agree about the details of the surgery and the patient should tell the surgeon and hospital staff about allergies or previous bad reactions to anesthesia.

For more information view these websites: 

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: www.ahrq.gov 
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement: www.ihi.org 
• Leap Frog Group: www.leapfroggroup.org 
• JCAHO: www.jcaho.org 
• National Patient Safety Foundation: www.npsf.org 
• Institute for Safe Medication Practices: www.ismp.org 
• US Food and Drug Administration: Medwatch: www.fda.gov/medwatch 
• US Pharmacopeia: www.usp.org 

“Five Steps to Safer Healthcare” Patient Fact Sheet, July 2003, AHRQ Publication No 03-M007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. www.ahrq.gov/consumer/5steps.htm