How Not To Make Blunders In A Medical Facility?

One in every seven patients faces the consequences of a medical blunder in a medical facility. The blunder may not necessarily be life-threatening, but still counts towards medical malpractice and may lead to even more trouble for the patient and his or her health

Making mistakes is just another part of human nature. In a typical healthcare system, these mistakes often result due to ineffective doctor-patient communication primarily from the patient’s end.Here are some ways to which patients can reduce their chances of facing additional medical trouble.

Your doctor needs to know your meds more than you.

Medicines can be tricky – especially with their side-effects. When you visit a doctor at a medical facility make sure that you mention all of the medication that you have been taking – including over-the-counter medication, prescriptions from prior checkups and any nutrient supplements that you’ve been taking. In fact what would be even better is for you to carry them along with yourself. This would help your doctor better understand your current medical condition and improvise on the prescription based on what may or may not be needed.

Medical questions are never enough.

Knowing your own medication is of course of equal importance. Here are a number of questions that you should be asking your doctor to understand your prescription.

What is the medicine to treat?

How many pills am I supposed to take in a day, and for how many days?

Are there any side-effects?

What do I do if the side-effects show up?

Will the medicine interfere with other dietary supplements that I am already taking?

What food, drink, or activities should I avoid while taking this medicine?

You might consider acquiring a lot of this information in writing so that you don’t forget – particularly side-effects, ways to counter them and dosage. In fact, this list of questions should also be asked for diagnostic tests that have been prescribed to you and also when undergoing surgery.

Communicate all of your medical information.

Just as not telling your doctor about the medication that you are currently taking can lead to some serious troubles, not telling them about existing medical conditions – such as allergies too can lead to some serious diagnostic errors. When you visit a doctor, it is important for you to share any and every information about your health with your doctor without assuming that he or she may already know everything. This information may include things like, food allergies, asthma, diabetes, heart conditions, or anything that the doctor may not be able to tell by looking at you.

Sometimes people often hide conditions such as obstructive Sleep Apnea, Insomnia, and Narcolepsy which they think aren’t any chronic disorders that the doctor needs to know. You never know what kind of ailment you are developing inside it’s the doctor’s playing field, let them know! You can also get help on the medications you are taking to cure your sleeping disorder. Maybe it’s time to change the mattress you are using and cling on the best organic bed. A nice piece of advice from a professional would be of great help. Sharing this information is vital as it will only make further diagnosis even more accurate.

Demand to be in safe hands.

While in a medical facility, never overlook the possibility that you could still contract a contagious infection even though the best efforts are being made to keep every patient safe. Always ask your healthcare attendants – doctors and nurses included – who will touch you whether they have sanitized their hands or not. It may sound offensive, but sometimes the simplest of things tend to the most commonly ignored. Hand-sanitizing alone can prevent the spread of a number of contagious infections within a medical facility that might contribute to worsening your health.

Don’t be too overcharged on getting discharged.

A number of patients pay very little importance to acquire a proper home treatment plan often in the sheer excitement of being discharged from the hospital. True, medical facilities aren’t amusement parks, and the food is definitely not even worthy of a single star by a typical food critic, but it is more than important for you to understand the treatment plan your doctor prescribes for you to follow at home. This includes everything from diet plans to medicines, scheduling you next doctor’s visit to finding out when you can return to your normal routine. When you’re at home, you won’t have a nurse or a doctor to check you up after regular intervals – you’ll be pretty much on your own.

Does your doctor write well?

It’s a well-known fact that most doctors have terrible handwriting – really terrible handwriting. Usually, the first few letters are decipherable, and what follows is a long line of ink. But if you can’t read the prescription, you probably wouldn’t know what you’re supposed to ask for at a pharmacy. Not to mention, the pharmacist too would have difficulty in comprehending a badly written prescription slip; and this could very well lead to you taking the wrong medication and suffering some potentially life-threatening consequences.

Get Well Soon!

 

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