February 5, 2007

• Bring an advocate. Your advocates can step in if you are too groggy or weak to speak for yourself, says the Cleveland Clinic's Michael Roizen, who co-wrote You: The Smart Patient: An Insider's Handbook for Getting the Best Treatment, with Mehmet Oz, a surgery professor at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, and the Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals.

• Prepare a 'health profile.' Write down your medical conditions, allergies and medications, including herbal supplements and vitamins, Roizen and Oz suggest. Bring your actual medication bottles to avoid misspelling the name of the drug, dose or directions for use, says James Bagian, director of the Department of Veterans Affairs' NationalCenter for Patient Safety.

• Avoid wrong-site surgery. Your surgeon should mark the location of your surgery and should involve you in the process, Bagian says.

• Double-check all your medications and treatments before accepting them. If you can't read the doctor's handwriting, the pharmacist may not be able to, either, says Betty Hoeffner, executive producer of a film called Things You Should Know Before Entering the Hospital. Doctors and nurses should check your wristband and ask your name before giving you drugs or treatments, according to the Joint Commission. Note when each dose is due and alert a nurse if a medication is late. If you're given intravenous medication, ask your nurse how long it should take for the bag to run out.

• Take notes. Or bring a tape recorder. Studies show that patients remember less than 30% of what doctors say, Roizen says. Also bring a list of questions, Oz says.

• Follow up. Ask when your test results will be available, then follow up if your doctor or nurse doesn't call, Oz and Roizen say in their book.

• Educate yourself. Learn about your medications, Hoeffner suggests. Key questions include: What is this medicine for? Who prescribed it? When am I supposed to take it? What are the likely side effects? Is this medicine safe to take with other drugs or supplements? What should I avoid while on this drug?

• Guard against superbugs. Ask every-one who enters your hospital room to wash their hands with either soap or an alcohol-based gel. Beware of objects in the hospital such as the TV remote control that aren't washed very often. Get your sheets changed every day and ask for a new, disposable pillow when checking in. Ask doctors if they have sanitized their stethoscopes, which can pick up germs with each new patient, Roizen says. If you need a catheter, ask for one coated in antiseptic, which may reduce the risk of infection. Make sure hospital staff are obeying their own rules, says Leonard Mermel of Brown Medical School. If signs instruct staff to change into protective gloves and gowns before entering the room, remind people to follow these instructions.