Additional Patient Safety Resources

Online Fact Sheets and Brochures

Health Care Quality and Safety
5 Steps to Safer Health Care - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/5steps.htm
20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20tips.htm
20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors in Children - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20tipkid.htm
ABCs of Patient Safety (.pdf file) - NPSF
www.npsf.org/download/ABCs_of_Patient_Safety.pdf
Be Involved in Your Health Care - VIPC&S.  Includes tip sheets on:
Medicines: www.vipcs.org/patients/medicine.htm
Hospital Stays: www.vipcs.org/patients/hospitals.htm
Surgery: www.vipcs.org/patients/surgery.htm
Home Health Equipment: www.vipcs.org/patients/homehealth.htm
General Safety: www.vipcs.org/patients/end.htm
Elements of a Culture of Safety (.pdf file) - HAP
www.haponline.org/downloads/1_Elements of a Culture of Safety.pdf
Getting the Most out of a Visit with Your Doctor - AAOS
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/category.cfm
Improving Health Care Quality: A Guide for Patients and Families - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/qntlite
Medical Errors - The Scope of the Problem - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/qual/errback.htm
Partners in Quality Series (.pdf file) - HAP
Taking an Active Role in Your Health Care
www.haponline.org/downloads/99consbro.pdf
Patients have Important Role in Safer Health Care - AAOS
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/category.cfm
Preventing Infections in the Hospital – What you as a patient can do (.pdf file) - NPSF
www.npsf.org/download/PreventingInfections.pdf
Role of the Patient Advocate (.pdf file) - NPSF
www.npsf.org/download/PatientAdvocate.pdf
Safety as You Go from Hospital to Home (.pdf file) - NPSF
www.npsf.org/download/SafetyAsYouGo.pdf
Speak Up Initiatives: Help Prevent Errors In Your Care - JCAHO
www.jcaho.org/general+public/gp+speak+up/
Twelve Steps to a Safer Hospital Stay - AAOS
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/category.cfm
You Can Help Improve Patient Safety - NPSF
www.npsf.org/download/patients.html
Your Guide to Choosing Quality Health Care - AHRQ
www.ahcpr.gov/consumer/qntool.htm

Medication Safety
Avoiding Medication Errors - APhA
www.pharmacyandyou.org/aboutmedicine/med.html
Be an Informed Consumer - ISMP
www.ismp.org/Consumer/Brochure.html
Be MedWise (website) - NCPIE
www.bemedwise.org
[In the] Doctor's Office - ISMP
www.ismp.org/Consumer/StartinOffice.html
Keeping Secrets From Your Doctor and Pharmacist Can Harm Your Health - CHIC
www.consumer-health.com/services/cons_take13.htm
Medications and You - ASHP
www.safemedication.com/meds/medSafety.cfm
Pharmacy Safety and Service - What You Should Expect (.pdf file) - NPSF
www.npsf.org/download/PharmacySafety.pdf
Personal Medication Organizer (.pdf file) - USP
www.usp.org/pdf/patientSafety/personalMedOrg.pdf
Safe Medicine – Protect Yourself from Medication Errors - ISMP
www.ismp.org/Pages/Consumer.html
Taking Control of Your Medicines - CHIC
www.consumer-health.com/services/cons_take15.htm
Think It Through: A Guide to Managing the Benefits and Risks of Medicine - NPSF/PSMU
http://www.npsf.org/download/ThinkItThrough.pdf
Tips on Medication Safety - APhA
www.pharmacyandyou.org/healthinfo/Consumer_Tips.html
What You Can Do to Make Healthcare Safer (.pdf file) - NPSF
www.npsf.org/download/WhatYouCanDo.pdf
Your Medicine: Play It Safe - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/safemeds/safemeds.htm
Your Role in Safe Medication Use (.pdf file) - MCPME
www.macoalition.org/documents/ConsumerGuide.pdf

Examining Medical Information on the Web
Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online - FDA
www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/
Electronic Prescriptions [and Internet Pharmacies] - CHIC
www.consumer-health.com/services/cons_take27.htm
Finding Surgical Information You Can Trust (.pdf file) - AORN
www.patientsafetyfirst.org/Patients_Section/
How to Shop Safely On-Line (.pdf file) - NCL
http://nclnet.org/eWise2.pdf

Surgical Safety
Advice for Patients Concerned about Correct Site Surgery (.pdf file) - AORN
www.patientsafetyfirst.org/Patients_Section/
Anesthesia for Ambulatory Surgery - ASA
www.asahq.org/patientEducation/ambulatoryAnes.pdf
Be Involved in Your Health Care - Surgery - VIPC&S. 
www.vipcs.org/patients/surgery.htm
Help prevent errors in your care: for surgical patients (.pdf file) - JCAHO
www.jcaho.org/general+public/
Partner with Physician for Best Surgical Outcome - AAOS
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/category.cfm
Tips for Patients to Prevent Wrong Site Surgery - JCAHO
www.jcaho.org/general+public/
Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before You Have Surgery - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/surgery.htm
What You Need to Know about Anesthesia (.pdf file) - AORN
www.patientsafetyfirst.org/Patients_Section/
What You Need to Know about Your Surgery (.pdf file)- AORN
www.patientsafetyfirst.org/Patients_Section/
When Your Child Needs Anesthesia - ASA
www.asahq.org/patientEducation/childanes.htm

Cancer Treatment Safety
How You Can Help Ensure Your Safety When Receiving Cancer
Treatments - ISMP
www.ismp.org/MSAarticles/cancertreatment.html

General Information on Taking Medications
FDA's Tips for Taking Medicines - FDA
www.fda.gov/fdac/reprints/medtips.html
Food & Drug Interactions (PDF File)- NCL
http://nclnet.org/Food%20%26%20Drug.pdf
Guide to Educating Children About Medicines -APhA
www.pharmacyandyou.org/aboutmedicine/child.html
Preventing Medicine Mishaps - CHIC
www.consumer-health.com/services/cons_take15.htm
Understanding Your Medicines - APhA
www.pharmacyandyou.org/aboutmedicine/medquest.html
What You Should Know About Over-the-counter Medicines and Drug Interactions - APhA
www.pharmacyandyou.org/selfcare/PSCbrochure.pdf

Información en español
20 Recomendaciones Para Ayudar a Prevenir los Errores Médicos - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20recom.htm
20 Recomendaciones Para Ayudar a Prevenir los Errores Médicos en los Niños - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20tkidsp.htm
Cinco Recomendaciones para Recibir una Mejor Atención Médica - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/cincorec.htm
Lo Que Debe Preguntar Antes de Una Cirugia - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/spansurg.htm
Mejorandola Calidad de la Atención Médica: Guía para los pacientes y las familias - AHRQ
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/qntlitesp/index.htm
No se arriesgue con sus medicamentos - AHRQ
http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/safemedsp/safemedsp.htm
Piénselo Muy Bien: Una Guía Para el Control de los Beneficios y Riesgos de las Medicinas (.pdf) - NPSF/PSMU http://www.npsf.org/download/PienseloMuyBien.pdf
Sea MediSabio- Utilice los medicamentos de venta libre con prudencia (.pdf) - NCPIE
www.bemedwise.org/brochure/bemedwise_spanish_brochure.pdf
Socios obteniendo calidad (.pdf) - HAP
Tomando una Parte Activa en el Cuidado de su Salud
www.haponline.org/downloads/99_spbro.pdf
Tres Cosas que Usted Puede Hacer para Prevenir Infecciones (.pdf) - JCAHO
www.jcaho.org/accredited+organizations/speak+up/ic_spanish.pdf
Mas información y publicaciones
www.ahrq.gov/consumer/espanoix.htm - AHRQ