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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Drugs given once a week may be prone to deadly dosage errors
There are a few pills that you can take only once or twice a week, which is quite a convenience compared to most medicines. But harmful mistakes may happen because your doctor and your pharmacist are mostly used to medicines that are taken daily, not weekly. They’ve occasionally been known to accidentally write or type “daily” instead of “weekly.” If you take weekly pills every day by accident, you could be harmed. Sadly, some people have even died.
There is evidence that some patients (and perhaps even health professionals) may not recognize that FDA-required facts about over-the-counter (OTC) medications, including dosing information, are often on a peel-back label that is stuck to the bottle.
Use Your Pre-Admission Testing Appointment to Prevent Errors
If you are scheduled in advance for surgery or a procedure, you will need to go to the hospital for a pre-admission testing appointment. You might need blood tests, a physical exam, and instructions about what to do before the procedure. This is a great time to go over your current list of medicines with the nurse or doctor.
Don’t mix up concentrated “ibuprofen infant drops” with “children’s ibuprofen”
Ibuprofen is s an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine that parents might give their child to relieve minor aches and pains or reduce a fever. For children, it is available in chewable tablets (100 mg each) and an oral suspension (liquid). But parents may not be aware that there are two different concentrations of the oral suspension. Ibuprofen for infants contains 50 mg per 1.25 mL (40 mg per mL) and is often called “infant drops.” This medicine is for 6- to 23-month-old babies who weigh 12 to 23 pounds (5.5 to 10.5 kilograms [kg]). Babies may not be able to swallow a large amount of medicine. So, ibuprofen for infants is more concentrated than ibuprofen for children.