The Patient Safety Anthology
Patient Safety Services, Information & Products -
Healthcare Optimization for Business & Families -
Welcome to PULSE of Florida's
Patient Safety Anthology
A compilation of kibbles, bits, kernels and pearls
to help inform and protect you and loved-ones
during every phase of healthcare
This collection contains wisdom, information, facts and opinions from patients, families, healthcare workers at every level, authors,
safety experts, lawyers and professional patient safety advocates. Enjoy.
This information should not be considered medical or legal advice or a recommendation.
It is general information or opinion. Always consult a medical or legal professional.
1.No one is hurt by doing the right thing - Hawaiian Proverb
No one is hurt by doing the thing right - PULSE of Florida Proverb
2. Getting the best care isn't really just a function of how much money you have. You need something more important, information.
And the best information is insider information.
3. Simply, the way most people go about choosing a doctor is all wrong.
And it is one of the costliest errors you can make. Did you research your cell phone plan more than you researched your physician or surgeon? You need not take the physican who is assigned to you, you should choose your physician.
Qualifications aren't enough, you should truly trust and like the doctor as a person.
4. Your primary care physician should be supervising all aspects of your medical care and ensuring that all members of your healthcare team blend together to provide the best care for you. Try to always be cared for by a physician who is Board Certified.
5. The days of doctor appointments consisting of show up and shut up are over. Seek a physician who is compassionate, not over-worked, not burned-out,
listens to what you are saying and includes you as a partner in your care.
Ask yourself: Do I feel rushed, Are the doctor's thoughts about wellness similar to mine, Do I feel comfortable in his or her presence, Was I treated courteously by all the doctor's office staff, Were my questions answered honestly and without being evaded? Trust your instincts.
6. This just in: Doctors are human!
7. Second opinions: choose a doctor other than one recommended by the first doctor. Research the second opinion physician as you should the first physician. Don't tip your hand about the first doctors provisional diagnosis. Ask for a complete workup not just a rubber stamp second opinion.
Bring your medical record with results of recent tests you don't want repeated.
8. Be evaluated, diagnosed and treated by a physican, not a Physician's Assistant, Nurse Practioner or office nurse. If you call the doctor's office ask to speak to the doctor. If the doctor doesn't return your call within 24 hours, get a new doctor.
9. If something doesn't seem right, Speak Up.
10. Try to schedule your doctor appointments for first thing in the morning before all the appointments are running late. Take someone with you to the appointment to be your second set of eyes and ears. Ask if you can make an audio or video recording of the appointment for review purposes. If your doctor refuses.......
11. More on choosing the right doctor:
Avoid doctors who cannot explain things well and who get defensive when you ask a question - Avoid doctors who order a battery of tests without first taking the time to listen to your concerns and have taken a detailed medical history. -
Avoid doctors who don't touch you - Many primary care physicians have taken the role of being only a prescription writer.
12. Tips to get the best care from the doctor's office staff:
Enter with a smile - Learn their names - Bring offerings such as gift cards -
Send a pizza at lunch time - Send a card - Say thank you and mean it.
13. Tips to help your doctor make the correct diagnosis:
Before seeing your doctor, write down all facts so you don't forget any symptoms - Decide what the key issue is, prioritize signs and symptoms - Write down when the symptoms first appeared and what makes them better or worse or changes at certain times of day - Let the doctor ask questions after the intial information is given (the trick is don't get interupted before you get all the initial information out) - Mention your concerns earlt in the appointment - Don't be afraid to mention anything that may seem unrelated to the main complaint - List all medications, suppliments, herbs and alternatives your taking - Be honest about your level of pain - Be sure to mention if you've had these signs and symptoms before.
14. Your doctor works for you. If you feel like you're not part of the decision process or you're being pushed into a treatment path with which you don't agree,
ask for a conference to make your wishes known - Change doctors if needed.
15. How to confront a healthcare professionals about unacceptable behavior:
Not by yelling or becoming hostile - Explain what happend - State how you feel and the reason for that feeling - Explain what you want to happen - Listen to the other side and be ready to negotiate (you may want to bring an advocate with you if you think you may be intimidated, there are 2 sides) - Change providers if you are not satisfied with the results of your discussion - If the issue involves a crime or negligence, seek professional advice.
16. You may need a new doctor if he/she:
Evades questions - Doesn't explain your diagnosis or treatment - Never apologizes for being late - Is rude - Is 30 minutes or more late for appointments - Never lays hands on you during an exam - Makes sexual advances - Acts unethically - Is reluctant to change the treatment plan when faced with other evidence - Talks about other patients - Is unclear, disorganized, appears hungover, sick or fatigued -
The state licensing board reports tha the physician has not kept up with Continuing Medical Education - Your further research finds complaints, malpractice and criminal activity.
17. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to medical decision making - It seeks to assess the quality of evidence of the risks and benefits of treatments (including lack of treatment) -
EBM recognizes that may aspects of medical care depend on individual factors such as quality and value of life judgements.
18. Evidence-based guidelines (EBG) is the practice of medicine at the organizational or institutional level - This include the production of guidelines, policy and regulations - This approach has also been called evidence-based healthcare.
19. Evidence-based individual decision making (EBID) is evidence-based medicine as practiced by the individual health care provider.
20. EBM Guidelines are set up to help limit inappropriate care, decrease the magnitude of geographic variations in the way doctors practice , and ensure that healthcare resources are used for maximum benefits of patients.
21. To see a resource for evidence-based guidelines (EBG), see:
http://www.guidelines.gov/
22.
-- Much more to come --
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