Ways YOU Can Help YOUR FAMILY

Prevent Medical Errors! 

Ways YOU Can Help YOUR FAMILY

Prevent Medical Errors!

Medical errors are mistakes 

that can happen with your health care. 

Medical errors can hurt or even kill people. 

The Government, hospitals, doctors, and others are

working hard to prevent medical errors. This booklet

has tips on what you can do to help keep you and

your family safe. These tips are based on 

studies by many medical 

researchers.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 

www.ahrq.gov
1 2

3 4 5

What are medical errors?

Medical errors are mistakes that can happen 

with medicine, surgery, tests, and other parts of your

health care. Here is an example of a medical error:

Getting the wrong medicine is a medical error.

What are medical errors?

1
What can you do? What can you do? You can help protect 

yourself and your family from medical

errors. The most important way you can

do this is to talk. Talk to your doctor,

nurse, and other health care workers.

• Tell them important things about 

your health.

• Ask them questions.

• Make decisions about your health 

care with them.

Doctor,

I am having

a problem...

2
Here are some tips to help you prevent certain kinds of medical errors.

Error:

Your doctor or drugstore gives you the wrong kind of medicine.

• Bring all your medicines with you to show

your doctor. This includes things like cold

medicine, aspirin, vitamins, and herbs. This

will help your doctor make sure that your

new medicine does not cause problems with

ones you already take.

What can you do to make sure you get the right medicine? What can you do to make sure you get the right medicine?

3
• Tell your doctor if you have any allergies. 

Also tell about any problems your medicines have

caused - such as a rash or stomach ache.

• When your doctor gives you a prescription, look at the

writing. Is it easy to read? If you can’t make out the

letters, the drugstore may not be able to either.

• When you pick up your medicine at the drugstore,

make sure it is what your doctor ordered. 

4
What can you do to make sure you take the right amount? What can you do to make sure you take the right amount?

5

Error:

You take too much or too little of your medicine.

• Ask your doctor:

-At what times of the day should I 

take this medicine? 

- Do I need to take it with food?

- How much should I take each time? 

That is, how many pills or how 

much liquid?
• If you have more questions when you pick up 

your medicine at the drugstore, ask. 

• Know how to measure your liquid medicine. The

label might use the word “teaspoon.” But do not

use spoons you eat with to measure your medicine.

These do not hold the right amount.

Instead, use a special container to measure your 

liquid medicine. You can find things like these at 

your drugstore.

6
What can you do to help

yourself get better faster?

What can you do to help

yourself get better faster?

Error:

You get sick from staying in the hospital.

• Illness can spread in hospitals when health care

workers do not wash their hands or wear gloves.

It is okay to ask anyone who touches you

whether they have washed their hands.

• Some foods can make you sicker. Know what

foods your doctor doesn’t want you to eat.

I am glad to see you 

are wearing gloves

Excuse me, 

is this a no salt meal

7
What can you do to make sure the doctor operates on

the right part of your body?

What can you do to make sure the doctor operates on

the right part of your body?

Error:

The doctor operates on the wrong part of the body.

• Talk to your doctor about the surgery. Ask what will be done.

Ask where it will be done and the name of the surgeon.

• Ask if the surgeon does this kind of surgery often. Ask if many

people have this surgery done at that hospital or clinic. People

do better if they have an experienced surgeon. 

• Ask your surgeon to make a mark with a pen before the surgery

on the part of your body where the surgery will happen. Some

doctors will sign their initials on the right part.

This is where 

we will operate

8
You can help prevent medical errors.

Remember: The most important way to do this is to talk. Talk to

your doctor, nurse, and other health care workers. Bringing a friend

or family member along can help.

You can help prevent medical errors.

To learn more about medical errors, call the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse 1-800-358-9295 

or go to www.ahrq.gov/qual/errorsix.htm on the Web.

9
Five Steps to Safer Health Care Five Steps to Safer Health Care

Here are five tips from the Federal Government on how to prevent medical errors:

1. Speak up if you have questions or concerns. 

2. Keep a list of all the medicines you take. 

3. Make sure you get the results of any test or procedure. 

4. Talk with your doctor and health care team about your options (choices) 

if you need hospital care. 

5. Make sure you understand what will happen if you need surgery. 

10
AHRQ Publication No. 01-0017 

October 2001

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Public Health Service

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

2101 East Jefferson Street

Suite 501

Rockville, MD 20852