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Josephs urges consumers to be more involved with their health- care decisions to help protect against medical errors

HARRISBURG, July 2 -- Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., is urging all health-care consumers to become more involved with their medical decisions.

Josephs cited a recent study by the Patient Safety Authority Board that said it received reports of 427 near misses and serious events of wrong-site surgeries in a 30-month period. And of those events, 69 percent were wrong-side surgeries, leaving the patients with even greater problems than before they went in.

"These mistakes or near-mistakes are of a very serious magnitude, and there can be numerous causes for them," Josephs said. "Most often, errors are caused by a breakdown in communications between hospital staff, doctors and patients, but there are ways patients and their families can minimize them."

She offered some valuable tips, which were developed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, as part of its SPEAK UP campaign. Josephs recommends that consumers make themselves fully aware of these tips and put them to use.

SPEAK UP if you have questions or concerns about your health care and, if you don't understand, ask again.
PAY ATTENTION! Make sure you're getting the right treatments and medications by the right health-care professionals.
EDUCATE yourself about your diagnosis, the medicals tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan.
ASK a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.
KNOW what medications you take and why you take them. (These are the most common health-care mistakes.)
USE a hospital, clinic, surgery center or other type of facility that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as those provided by the state Department of Health or outside accrediting organizations like the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
PARTICIPATE in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health-care team.

Josephs said the study also reported that many mistakes were prevented because an alert family member noticed that something was awry.

"If your loved one is having surgery, remember to be watchful," Josephs cautioned. "You might be in a position to prevent a serious mishap or even save your loved one's life. No one should be afraid to speak up and ask as many questions as needed. That's your job as a health-care consumer. We are working in state government, as well, to preserve the rights of those who sustain medical injuries and to insure that health-care providers adhere to strict standards."