The following information can be startling and concerning. It should not be used as a reason not to enter a hospital when needed. Instead, it should be used to help encourage you to take the steps you can take to minimize error and infection.

• According to a Harvard Medical Practice Study, medical errors are responsible for injury to as many as 1 of every 25 hospital patients. A report by the Institute of Medicine estimates that 44,000 to 98,000 patients die in the hospital each year due to medical error.   Even the lower estimate is higher than the annual mortality rate from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS, making medical errors the eighth leading cause of death in the United States.
• According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the single most effective method of preventing medical error is to be an active member of your healthcare team.  This includes understanding your diagnosis and playing an active role in the planning and administration of your treatment.  The assistance of your health advocate will be invaluable during this time.

To minimize some of the most common medical errors which occur in a hospital and to avoid picking up unnecessary infections:

• Understand that your job, no matter how poorly you feel, is to be vigilant and to be assertive. One of the easiest ways to do this is to have a friend or family member serve as a patient advocate.
• Make sure every health care provider washes his or her hands, or wears gloves, before providing you with any medical procedure or care. (Alcohol based cleansers are not enough, by themselves, to kill today's potentially deadly germs). If it helps you to assert yourself, let the doctor or nurse you understand the pressure they are under by saying something such as "You really seem to be working hard today. I hope you don't mind me reminding you to please wash your hands."
• Keep the room as germ free as possible.
• Keep germs away from your lips, nose and eyes..
• Watch for medication errors.

Before you make any major decisions, get a second opinion -- just as you would outside the hospital. 

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