""The culture around medicine is changing very quickly as patients begin to understand the full impact of medical errors and see that quality health care is not a given," says Bruce Siegel, a professor in the department of health policy at George Washington University who runs the Aligning Forces for Quality program. Many physicians are trained "to think of ourselves as little gods" and resist patients who question their authority, Dr. Siegel says. But "the more enlightened physicians are beginning to realize this could be a positive thing for health care."
The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, which tracks medical errors and recommends preventive measures, says research conducted in the state shows patients are increasingly willing to ask certain questions of their doctor. It says patients will seek a better explanation of something they don't understand or question the reason for a procedure or unfamiliar drug.
But patients are most reluctant to ask anything that might be viewed as confrontational, such as requesting that health-care providers confirm a patient's identity before a procedure or asking practitioners to wash their hands, the group says. Hand washing is considered the most important preventive measure against the spread of potentially deadly infections....
Many hospitals make use of the 'Speak Up' campaign launched in 2002 by the Joint Commission, the nonprofit group that accredits hospitals. The program provides free brochures and posters to hospitals urging patients to take a role in preventing medication errors, infections and wrong-patient procedures. The brochures, available at www.jointcommission.org, provide lists of questions to ask medical practitioners, urging patients, for instance, to make sure doctors and nurses check their wristband and ask their name before administering medicine."
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