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.
When there is a concerning change in your or your family member’s condition, promptly escalate the issue to your healthcare team.
Contribute to learning and improvement.
Engage in follow-up and provide feedback to your healthcare team about your diagnosis and treatment effectiveness.
Help to improve the wider health system by reporting your experience and suggesting changes.
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Seek immediate medical attention for overdoses
A woman with colon cancer recently received a full dose of fluorouracil at home over 4 days instead of 7 days. Fluorouracil is a drug used to treat cancer by causing fast-growing cancer cells to die. The medicine was given directly into a vein (intravenously) through a portable infusion pump that the woman wore while she was at home. For an unknown reason, the full amount ran in too quickly, leading to an overdose of the medicine. The effects of an overdose are serious and can be fatal. The effects from the medicine infusing too quickly include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth ulcers, stomach bleeding, and a weakened immune system (making it harder to fight off diseases).
A woman accidentally put ear wax removal drops (carbamide peroxide 6.5%) into her eye. This caused irritation and redness that persisted after rinsing her eye with water for 15 minutes. The bottle of ear wax removal drops (Figure 1) looks like a container used for eye drops. A warning that the drops are for the ears only is not on the front of the bottle (and carton) label. On the back of the carton, it says, “When using this product, do not get into eyes” in the Drug Facts table, but it does not stand out. This is mentioned on the side of the bottle, but the warning is buried in the middle of a paragraph in very small print.
Are you using eye drops to help relieve your sore eyes? If you overuse eye drops that contain decongestants (ingredients that shrink swollen blood vessels) such as naphazoline, tetrahydrozoline, or phenylephrine, it could lead to conjunctivitis--swollen, red, sore eyes with a liquid discharge. It could take weeks for this condition to clear up. Use your eye drops as directed on the label, or your red eyes may actually worsen.
Using a Household Spoon to Give Liquid Medicine Is Inaccurate
It has been almost 50 years (1978) since the American Academy of Pediatrics pointed out that using a household spoon to give liquid medicine is inaccurate. Studies indicate, however, that 3 out of 4 Americans still rely on teaspoons in their kitchen drawers to measure medicine doses.