Everyone makes mistakes – even hospitals. How to protect yourself from further injury...

We depend on hospitals to heal us when we’re sick or injured...

...but unfortunately, for thousands of people each year, hospital errors make matters worse. Dr. Peter Pronovost, senior vice president for patient safety and quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, has some important tips to protect yourself or a loved one entering the hospital:

• Bring a friend or family member. Your companion should help you during check-in and discharge – and visit daily, especially in the evening and on weekends and holidays.

• INSIST that anyone who touches you washes his or her hands first. 

• Make a list of all prescription and over-the-counter drugs you take, including vitamins and supplements. Take multiple copies of that list and share them with doctors and pharmacists in the hospital.

Dr. Pronovost says above all else, ask questions – and keep asking until things are explained in a way you really understand. A health-care system that doesn’t address all of your concerns is a risky one.