At some point, almost everyone will be hospitalized, whether for an illness, operation or from an accident. And patients who check in also expect to check out, alive and in better shape than when they entered. Unfortunately, however, many patients go straight from the hospital to the funeral home.

Thousands of Americans die each year from careless medical errors, or from deadly bacteria that lie in wait in the seemingly sparkling clean halls of America’s hospitals. Hundreds of thousands more face long hospital stays due to botched surgeries, which include wrong-site surgery, wrong procedure, wrong patient, and other preventable mistakes.

The figures are shocking. According to a report issued by the Institute of Medicine, up to 98,000 people die each year from medical mistakes, and a report from the National Academies of Science’s Institute of Medicine said preventable medication mistakes injure more than 1.5 million Americans each year.

The statistics on hospital-acquired infections are even more appalling. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these infections, which are often caused by drug-resistant bacteria, occur in approximately 5 percent of patients, totaling more than 2 million cases. Mortality rates double in these victims whose health is already compromised and reach approximately 90,000 deaths each year.

“There’s no doubt mistakes are made, but there are steps patients can take before going into the hospital to protect themselves,” said Dr. Johnny Benjamin, Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics, and Director of the Joint Implant Center, and Director of Medical Specialty Procedures Surgery Center in Vero Beach, Fla. “There are many things a patient can do to help prevent mistakes and infections while you’re in the hospital. Be proactive in your medical care,” he told Newsmax Health.

Preventing medication errors:

• Give the hospital an updated list of all medications you take. “This should include vitamins, supplements and over-the-counter medications,” said Dr. Benjamin. “And make sure the list is current. I’ve seen patients take ragged lists from their wallets that have been there for years.”

• Make sure both your doctor and hospital know of any allergies you have. This includes allergies to latex as well as medications and foods.

• Check the ID bracelet on your arm to make sure it’s your name. “Everything is bar coded, and you are who that bracelet says you are,” said Benjamin.

• When you’re given medication, ask what it is. If you don’t recognize it, ask what it’s for.

Preventing surgical errors:

• Choose a physician who is board certified to treat your condition. Also be sure to choose a physician that does the procedure frequently.

• Ask your family doctor which physician he would choose if he or a member of his family needed the same procedure.

• For the real low-down, find a nurse in the hospital who works with the doctor. You’ll likely get straight-from-the-hip advice as to exactly what he or she thinks of a doctor and his competency. If you question a nurse in surgical ICU about a doctor you’re considering who says, “If I needed surgery and he was in China, I’d book a ticket,” you’ve got a winner.

• Schedule surgeries for early in the day and early in the week when doctors are most rested.

• If you’re having surgery on a limb or organ that has a mate on the other side of the body, mark the one due for surgery with a pen. “Write, ‘This leg,’ or ‘Correct breast,’” said Benjamin.

Preventing infections:

• Insist all hospital personnel wash their hands when they come into your room and change gloves before they examine you.

• Ask doctors to take out tubes and catheters as soon as possible since they are the cause of many infections.

• If you’re having surgery, ask your doctor to prescribe prophylactic antibiotics.

• Ask to be released from the hospital as soon as it is safe. “Every hour you spend in the hospital increases your chances of getting an infection,” said Dr. Benjamin. “Even if it’s late in the day, if your doctor says you can go home, go.”

Other tips for safer care:

• Don’t have elective surgery at a teaching hospital in July. All medical students move up a notch in July, from students to interns and from interns to residents, etc. Chances are a large part of the staff will be new to their jobs.

• Choose the right hospital. Try to find the hospital that has been doing the procedure you need the longest, has the highest volume, and the best survival rates.

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