Special Issue
March 9, 2007, Issue No. 29
AHRQ News and Numbers
Mistakes involving medicines are among the most common types of medical mistakes: an estimated 1.5 million medication errors happen every year in settings ranging from hospitals to doctors' offices to nursing homes to pharmacies. [Source: Institute of Medicine report, Preventing Medication Errors, 2006.]
Contents
AHRQ and Ad Council Encourage Patients to Ask Questions and Get More Involved With Their Health Care
Campaign TV and Radio Ads
Question Builder
Radio Story About Asking Questions Available Through AHRQ's Healthcare 411
AHRQ and Ad Council Encourage Patients to Ask Questions and Get More Involved With Their Health Care
AHRQ joined with The Advertising Council to launch a national public service campaign designed to encourage adults to take a more proactive role in their health care. The new "Questions Are the Answer: Get More Involved With Your Health Care" campaign aims to encourage all patients and caregivers to get more involved with their health care by asking questions. The campaign is being launched during national Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 4-10, 2007). Select to access our press release about the campaign.
Campaign TV and Radio Ads
The campaign includes new television, radio, and print ads and a comprehensive Web site. Patients also may call a toll-free number, (1-800-931-AHRQ) to obtain tips on how to help prevent medical mistakes and become partners in their health care.
Question Builder
The Web site also features an interactive "Question Builder" that allows consumers to generate a customized list of questions for their health care providers that they can bring to each medical appointment. Patients can choose from a list of 10 key questions that they can take when they visit their clinicians or they can create personalized lists from more than 70 questions.
Radio Story About Asking Questions Available Through AHRQ's Healthcare 411
In addition, AHRQ produced an audio story about the importance of asking questions to help reduce medical mistakes. The 2-minute program features a 90-second story with quotes from AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D., plus a 30-second PSA created for AHRQ by the Ad Council. Select to access the 2-minute audio program or to review the transcript.
The Patient Safety E-newsletter is archived online at http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ptsnews.htm.
Contact Information
Please address comments and questions to Salina Prasad at Salina.Prasad@ahrq.hhs.gov.
Current as of March 2007, Issue No. 29
Internet Citation:
Patient Safety E-Newsletter. March 9, 2007, Issue No. 29. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ptsnews/ptsnews29.htm
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850