Tips to Avoid Medical Malpractice

A recent government study states that as many as 98,000 deaths per year are caused by hospital errors in the United States. Another study lists medical malpractice as the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. These are frightening statistics.

Much has been written and said about what you can do if you are a victim of medical malpractice. But it is far better to know what you can do in order to PREVENT being a victim.

Here are a few tips to help you reduce the risk of becoming a medical malpractice statistic.

1. Take an active role in your own medical care. This means paying attention and taking part in as many of the medical decisions as possible. Don't just assume that everything your doctors and nurses do is necessary and proper. Take a friend or family member to doctor appointments with you, to help you remember what was said, and to help you remember any questions you had planned to ask. It may be helpful to you to make a list of questions before your doctor appointment. Often, during an examination, patients can become distracted and forget questions they intended to ask.

2. Choose your doctors and hospitals carefully, if you are fortunate enough to have such a choice. Ask for referrals from friends, and investigate the background of your treating doctors. Be sure they have experience in dealing with your particular medical problem.

3. If you are seeing more than one doctor, be certain each doctor knows all the medications you are taking. Medicines taken in combination can have deadly side-effects, so you must tell each of your doctors about any medication prescribed by your other doctors. It will be easier for you to do this if you keep a printed list with you that contains all your prescription and non-prescription medications. Be sure to update this list each time you start a new medication or discontinue one. Show the list to your pharmacist also. Pharmacists sometimes are even more knowledgeable than doctors about drug interactions.

4. Ask your pharmacist if he or she is certain that you have received the medication your doctor prescribed. In an alarming number of cases, pharmacists give out the wrong medicine because they simply cannot read the doctor's handwriting.

5. Don't hold back any information from your doctors. You must give a complete and truthful history so the doctor can best diagnose and treat your condition. Then follow your doctor's instructions completely and carefully.

6. If you have doubts about something your doctor or nurse is doing, don't hesitate to ask for a second opinion.

Remember that most doctors and other health care providers are competent and caring. But guard against becoming the victim of one who is incompetent or careless.