Consumer Resources

 

Patient Safety Tools and Resources for Consumers

 

Taking Charge of your Healthcare: Your Path to Being an Empowered Patient

http://www.patientsafety.org/page/transtoolkit/

 

US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Consumer Resources

http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/

AHRQ - Do you know the right questions to ask?
http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/

AHRQ - Healthcare 411
www.healthcare411.org

Ask Me 3: Good Questions for Health

http://www.npsf.org/askme3/for_patients.php

Consumers Advancing Patient Safety

http://www.patientsafety.org/

Develop a Family Medical History

https://familyhistory.hhs.gov/fhh-web/home.action

Facts & Resources About MRSA

Important Patient Safety Tips [pdf]
Courtesy of Howard County General Hospital

Institute for Healthcare Improvement
http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Topics/PatientCenteredCare/ResourcesforPatientsandFamilies.htm

Joint Commission Consumer Resources

Speak Up:  Learn how to be an advocate 
http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/Speak+Up/

Patient 101:  How to find reliable health information
http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/patient_101.htm

You:  The Smart Patient
http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/smart_patient.htm

Selecting a Health Care Provider:  Helping you choose guides
http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/Choices/

National Council for Patient Information and Education

http://www.talkaboutrx.org/

National Patient Safety Foundation

http://www.npsf.org/paf/

SoS Rx Coalition

http://www.sosrx.org/

World Alliance for Patient Safety

http://www.who.int/patientsafety/en/

Consumer Reporting

Report a complaint to the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality (electronic or paper reports available)
http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/ohcq/faq_help/file_a_complaint.htm

Learn about efforts underway for consumers to report medical errors and patient safety issues
http://www.patientsafety.org/page/94885/index.v3page;jsessionid=f0pisn7la6bed?ct=cdisplay&nt=true&cd_eid=66008

Healthcare Information Links

Hospital Compare (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/Hospital/Search/Welcome.asp?
version=default&browser=IE%7C7%7CWindows+Vista&language=English&defaultstatus=0&pagelist=Home

Nursing Home Compare (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

http://www.medicare.gov/default.asp

Maryland Nursing Home Performance Evaluation Guide - MHCC

Maryland Hospital Performance Evaluation Guide - MHCC

Ambulatory Surgery Facility Consumer Evaluation Guide - MHCC

Perspectives on Patient Safety

In Conversation with...Lucian Leape, MD