Here's how you can safeguard patient safety and avert medical errors as a patient advocate.

Knowledge and skill is the ultimate combo. To achieve patient safety, you have to immersed in the details of the patient’s medical condition, drug history and usage, familial and genetic factors, etc. Literally: everything. Only then, patient safety can be achieved and medical errors can be prevented/corrected.

A comprehensive understanding of medical procedures, treatments, and patient rights enables me to provide accurate information and guide patients effectively. Knowledgeable communication with healthcare providers ensures that patient needs are clearly understood, reducing misunderstandings that could lead to errors. Staying updated on healthcare developments allows me to anticipate and prevent potential issues, while educating patients empowers them to take an active role in their care. Overall, being informed enables proactive monitoring and early identification of problems, fostering a safer healthcare environment.

Communication is king. To achieve optimal patient safety, it has to be a two way street: you have to incorporate the patient into the process by cueing them into the technical and medical side of things. The patient should feel a considerate degree of authority and decision making so that the quest for safety comes from within. And always remember the 7 C’s of communication 3 - Clear - Concise - Concrete - Correct - Coherent - Complete - Courteous (we are humans after all, not robots!)

Effectively conveying information ensures that patients fully understand their treatment options, medical procedures, and any potential risks, enabling them to make informed decisions about their care. Clear communication with healthcare providers ensures that the patient's needs and concerns are accurately conveyed, reducing the likelihood of misunderstandings that could lead to mistakes. Additionally, it fosters a collaborative environment where patients feel empowered to ask questions and express their concerns, further enhancing the quality of care and minimizing the risk of errors.

To prompt patients into asking questions, you must go back to college. Try to remember that long, boring histology or anatomy lecture and recall all you can. Then, you go into action: you throw leads for questions, you drop interesting bits of information like how a drug works on the molecular level or how certain cells go crazy and attack the body. Try to not simply communicate, but rather engage. An engaged patient is a cooperative patient.

Unpopular opinion (FACT): Most errors relating to patient data happen in the front end (patient access/ registration). Front end staff have to be held accountable for errors made using patient data because of the domino-effect associated with bad or otherwise erroneous data.