Getting Safer Care Consumer health and patient information on health plans and insurance, prescriptions, conditions and diseases, surgery, quality of care, quitting smoking, and prevention and wellness. Sign Up: Health Care & Prevention E-Mail Updates Sign Up: E-Mail Updates: Dr. Clancy's Corner—Health Care AdviceSubscribe: Navigating Health CarePreventing ErrorsGetting Quality CareUsing Hospitals & Clinics Preventing ErrorsRead:5 Steps to Safer Health Care (en español: Cinco recomendaciones para recibir una mejor atención médica)20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors (en español: Veinte consejos para ayudar a evitar errores médicos)Don't Let Medicines Cause HarmHealth IT Tools Help with Care and CostsHospital Advisory Councils Get Patients' View on Safer Health CareNew Processes Can Help Hospitals Spot—and Stop—Drug ErrorsSafety Culture Creates Better Care for PatientsSimple Steps Can Reduce Health Care-Associated InfectionsTips for Taking Medicines SafelyWhere Medical Errors Occur and Steps You Can Take to Avoid ThemListen:Your Medicine: Be Smart. Be Safe. (en español: Su medicamento: Infórmese. Evite riesgos.)Care Transitions - What You Need to Know (Podcast Download; Transcript)Getting Medical Tests: Ask Questions! (Podcast Download; Transcript)Hospital Stays: Reducing Your Risks (Podcast Download; Transcript)Play it Safe with Children and Medicine (Podcast Download; Transcript)Tips To Prevent Medical Errors (Podcast Download; Transcript)Watch:Medication Safety: Know Your Medication (00:30, Flash, 3.4 MB (Transcript)Asking Questions to Get the Care You Need (2:33, 32 MB; Download Flash® Player )Asking Questions About Medical Tests (2:08, 26 MB; Download Flash® Player )What to Ask Before Surgery (2:36, 32 MB; Download Flash® Player )Tips for Taking Medicines Safely (2:31, 32 MB; Download Flash® Player )Where Medical Errors Occur and How to Avoid Them (2:39, 33 MB; Download Flash® Player ) Top of PageGetting Quality CareRead:Be More Involved in Your Health Care: Tips for Patients (en español: Participe más en su atención médica: Consejos para pacientes)Becoming an Involved Health Care ConsumerBig Strides, Not Small Steps, Needed to Boost Health Care QualityBlood Thinner Pills: Using Them Safely (en español: Pastillas que diluyen la sangre)Build Your Question List (Interactive)Busting Myths About Health Care QualityExplore Your Treatment OptionsGetting Involved for Better Health Care: Interview with Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D.Health Care Quality: Take A Closer LookTranscript)Health Care Quality: Take A Closer LookHospital Compare (Web Site)How To Complain—And Get HeardNew Initiative Urges Better Communication between Clinicians and PatientsQuick Tips—When Getting Medical TestsQuick Tips—When Talking With Your DoctorRecognizing High-Quality Health CareResources to Help You Be a Better CaregiverTaking Care of Myself: A Guide for When I Leave the HospitalYour Guide to Preventing and Treating Blood ClotsListen:Avoiding 'Never Events' (Podcast Download; Transcript)Comparing Hospitals to Get Quality Care (Podcast Download; Transcript)Health Care Quality—Know It When You See It (Podcast Download; Transcript)How to Ensure High Quality Health Care (Podcast Download; Transcript)Understanding Health Care Quality (Podcast Download; Transcript)Watch:Questions Are the Answer (Web Site With Videos)Healthy Men (Web Site With Videos) (en español: Conozca las preguntas)Staying Active and Healthy with Blood Thinners (Video: 10:26, 17.6 MB) (Transcript) Top of Page Using Hospitals & ClinicsRead:10 Patient Safety Tips for HospitalsHospital Advisory Councils Get Patients' View on Safer Health CareBetter Information Helps Patients When They Leave the HospitalDo Your Homework Before You Choose A HospitalDoes Your Hospital Do A Good Job?Hospital Compare (Web Site)How to Make an Emergency Department Visit a Safe OneHow To Use Hospital Emergency Rooms WiselyOne Step Forward on Quality Improvement, One Step Back on AccessRevealing Medical Errors Helps Chicago Hospitals Build a Safer Health SystemTaking Care of Myself: A Guide for When I Leave the HospitalYour Experience in the Hospital and Why it MattersListen:Hospital Stays: Reducing Your Risks (Podcast Download; Transcript)Navigating Urgent or Emergency Care (Podcast Download; Transcript) Top of Page Current as of August 2012 Internet Citation: Getting Safer Care. August 2012. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/patients-consumers/care-planning/errors/safety.html