Patient Safety

Illegible handwritten prescriptions, preventable hospital errors and dangerous drug interactions threaten your health. The fact that 98,000 preventable medical errors occur in our country each year is alarming. This is why we help you protect your health by promoting the identification of potential safety concerns. We work with providers and others in health care to bring about system-wide change. And, we want to help you be safe as you utilize healthcare services. Because medical errors typically occur at the point of care— doctor’s offices, pharmacies or hospitals it’s important to be vigilant in these settings. The resources here will support your patient safety efforts.

Read the NPSF® Safety Publications Created for Patients and Families:

• Preventing Infections in the Hospital – What you as a patient can do
• What You Can Do To Make Health Care Safer
• Safety As You Go From Hospital To Home
• Pharmacy Safety and Service - What you should expect
• Role of the Patient Advocate

From NPSF® and the Partnership for Safe Medication Use:

• Think It Through: A Guide to Managing the Benefits and Risks of Medicine

Visit the National Patient Safety Foundation for more online patient safety resources.