The World Health Organization has announced the theme for World Patient Safety Day 2024 (September 17) as “Improving diagnosis for patient safety.” World Patient Safety Day is the cornerstone of action to promote global health and safety. It is firmly grounded in the fundamental principle of medicine, “first do no harm.”
To improve diagnostic safety, the main objective for patients and families is to actively engage with health workers and healthcare leaders to improve diagnostic processes.
Here’s what you can do:
Understand and engage in the diagnostic journey.
Ensure you understand the diagnostic process, including the steps that you and your healthcare team will take to determine your diagnosis.
Engage actively with your healthcare team by sharing accurate and comprehensive information about your symptoms and medical history from the start.
Prompt your healthcare team to think comprehensively about alternative diagnoses, such as by asking “What else could it be?”
Ask about the purpose, potential risks, alternatives, and follow-up steps of any recommended diagnostic interventions.
Keep track of your health, symptoms, medical visits, and treatments.
Be informed about the expected progression of your illness, potential danger signs, and how to access care if your condition either does not improve or worsens.
Adhere to prescribed treatment plans and attend follow-up appointments.
Ensure continuity, accuracy, and validity of information.
Ask your healthcare team for information and use reliable medical information sources.
Follow up on the results of your diagnostic tests and proactively ask for the report; no news is not always good news.
Don’t be afraid to seek a second opinion if you have any doubts or uncertainties about the initial diagnosis.
Regularly check your health records to ensure that all information is documented, accurate, and up to date.
Speak up with concerns about your diagnosis and care.
Raise any concerns you may have about your diagnosis or the diagnostic process.
An Inquisitive Patient Is a Safe Patient...Be Persistent
If you are hospitalized, nurses will typically give you the medicine your doctor has prescribed. But if the medicine the nurse brings to you doesn’t seem right, it might be that an error has happened. You may be hesitant to speak up about the potential problem. You may believe your doctor and nurse know more about medicine than you do. But in some cases, your instincts may be right, as in the example that follows.
Recently a woman notified our organization after realizing her doctor prescribed the incorrect dose for an antimalarial medicine. The woman, who was soon going to travel to a part of the world where malaria is present, discussed with her doctor about taking medicine to prevent malaria. Having taken antimalarial medicine in the past, the woman asked her doctor to prescribe chloroquine (the same medication she has taken many years ago).
It's important for women to be aware of an issue with the prescription product Angeliq, a hormone-based medicine used to relieve the symptoms of menopause. Unfortunately, we're aware of errors where it's been dispensed or prescribed improperly as an oral contraceptive.