Information for Patients and Families

As a health care consumer, you play an important role in ensuring the quality of the care that you receive. Here are some steps that you can take to improve the quality of your care and reduce the risk of unanticipated harm.

Participation in your health care

• Questions are the Answer campaign from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Be an active healthcare consumer - AHRQ
• Important Patient Safety Issues: What You Can Do - National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF)
• Questions to Ask Your Doctor - AHRQ
• Ten Things You Can Do to Be a Safe Patient - CDC

In the hospital

• When you are in the hospital: A guide for patients - Journal of Patient Safety

Medication safety

• Being Smart and Safe with Your Medicine - AHRQ
• Medicine Wallet Card (pdf) - NPSF

Preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI)

• Frequently Asked Questions about HAIs
• Preventing Infections in the Hospital - NPSF

Choosing a hospital

• Oregon Patient Safety Commission: Resources for Patients
• Medicare.gov Hospital Compare
• Quality Check - Joint Commission hospital accreditation and comparison information
• Leapfrog Hospital Ratings

After an adverse event

• Early Discussion and Resolution Process (EDR)
  EDR in Oregon offers patients (or their representatives) and their healthcare facilities or providers a process for having an open, caring, and confidential conversation if serious physical injury or death occurs during healthcare.
• Medically Induced Trauma Support Services (MITSS)
  MITSS is a non-profit organization founded in June of 2002 whose mission is " To Support Healing and Restore Hope" to patients, families, and clinicians who have been affected by an adverse medical event.
• Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS)
  CAPS is a consumer-led nonprofit organization formed to be a collective voice for individuals, families and healers who wish to prevent harm in healthcare encounters through partnership and collaboration.