Speak Up For Your Health

In these days of understaffed, overworked healthcare facilities, the patient is the one who ultimately pays the price. More and more, people need to become their own advocates to make sure they get the care that they need. But where do you start? Healthcare can be so confusing and if you are already coping with a condition or disease which is leaving you sick and discouraged, how can you cope with the added stress of having to advocate for your own care?

JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) launched a national campaign in March of 2002 to assist patients to "take a role in preventing health care errors by becoming active, involved and informed participants on the health care team." The Speak Up TM program offers brochures and posters promoting many safety topics.

According to JCAHO, the Speak Up Program "encourages the public to...

• Speak up if you have questions or concerns, and if you don't understand, ask again. It's your body and you have a right to know.
• Pay attention to the care you are receiving. Make sure you're getting the right treatments and medications by the right health care professionals. Don't assume anything.
• Educate yourself about your diagnosis, the medical tests you are undergoing, and your treatment plan.
• Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate.
• Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medication errors are the most common health care errors.
• Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of health care organization that has undergone a rigorous on-site evaluation against established state-of-the-art quality and safety standards, such as that provided by Joint Commission.
• Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of the health care team."

For information on the Speak Up Program and also other aspects of patient safety and concerns, please visit JCAHO's website.