Patients and their family members can take an active role in assuring that a hospital stay is safe and free of preventable medical errors by:

• Being well-informed
• Asking their physicians and nurses about their diagnosis and treatment
• Making sure that every hospital employee providing care to them knows:
  • Who they are
  • What their health issues are
• Questioning anything that does not seem quite right, such as:
  • If the hospital employee does not know their name
  • If a medication does not look familiar
  • If the employee is preparing the wrong part of the body for treatment.

Resources for patients who want to take an active role in ensuring their own safety.