Children's Health

Dennis and Kimberly Quaid’s Mission

What can you do?

Unfortunately, those errors continue to happen, and more often than you might think. The statistic sounds unbelievable: On average, a patient in a U.S. hospital will be subject to one medication error a day. Some mistakes may be small and mostly inconsequential; others may be deadly.

Although much of the burden rests on hospital staff and computer systems, patients and their families can take steps, too. Among Dennis and Kimberly Quaids' tips:

• Be there. Stay with the patient at all times. Never leave a hospitalized friend or relative alone.
• Ask questions. Don’t worry about sounding nosy or seeming annoying. People should memorize the ”five rights“ of medication safety -- right patient, right drug, right dose, right route (such as IV, oral), right time. That won't guarantee safety, but it will help.
• Know your rights. And enforce them. These include the right to see your medical records.
• Go with your gut. If it seems like the wrong time for a medication, or if the medicine suddenly looks different, ask questions before accepting it or before letting your friend or relative accept it.

(Adapted from WebMD the Magazine’s September/October 2008 issue. Read the complete story here.)