Safe Healthcare Starts With You: How Patients Can Make Their Treatment Safer
By Dr. Ashok Kumar Consultant – General Medicine, MedUnited Hospitals Patient safety is not only the hospital’s responsibility When we talk about patient safety, many people immediately think about doctors, nurses, medicines, hospital equipment or clinical procedures. These are certainly important. But in my experience as a General Medicine physician, there is another equally important part of safe healthcare: the patient and the family being actively involved in the treatment process. A patient knows things that may not always be immediately visible in a consultation – which medicines they are actually taking, what changed recently, which symptoms started first, whether they have visited another doctor, whether they stopped a medicine because of a side effect and what difficulties they are facing in following the treatment plan. Sharing this information clearly can make a real difference. The World Health Organization describes patient safety as reducing avoidable harm during healthcare and emphasizes effective involvement of patients and families in the care process. For people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, heart disease, asthma or other long-term illnesses, this becomes even more important because healthcare is not a one-time event. It is a continuing process of consultation, medication, monitoring, lifestyle changes and follow-up. What does “safe healthcare” actually mean? Safe healthcare does not mean that every treatment is completely risk-free. Healthcare involves diagnosis, medicines, investigations, procedures and decisions that must be carefully coordinated. Patient safety means creating systems and behaviours that reduce unnecessary risks, prevent avoidable errors and identify problems early. WHO emphasizes that safety depends not only on healthcare professionals but also on good processes, communication, information and meaningful patient involvement. As a patient, you can contribute to this process in several simple but important ways. Tell your doctor the complete story – not just the main symptom Sometimes a patient comes to the consultation and says: “Doctor, I have chest discomfort.” But there may be much more information behind that sentence. For example: These details can influence clinical decision-making. My advice to patients is simple: do not hesitate to tell your doctor the full story. Even something that seems unrelated may be clinically relevant. Keep an updated list of all your medicines This is particularly important for patients with chronic diseases. If you are taking medicines prescribed by different doctors, keeping track of them can become difficult. I recommend maintaining a simple medication list containing: Do not depend only on memory. If possible, carry your prescriptions or medicine strips when you visit a doctor. Why does this matter? WHO specifically identifies medication safety during transitions of care – such as hospital admission, discharge or movement between healthcare providers – as an important patient-safety issue. Medication discrepancies can occur when medicines are changed, added or stopped and information is not communicated accurately. This is why patients should tell their healthcare team about everything they are currently taking, including medicines prescribed elsewhere. Never change or stop chronic medication on your own One of the most common situations I see is: “My sugar was normal, so I stopped my diabetes medicine.” or “My blood pressure is normal now, so I stopped the tablets.” A normal reading may actually mean that the treatment is working. Similarly, increasing a dose, skipping doses, doubling a missed dose or stopping a medicine because you feel better can sometimes create unnecessary risks. Medication decisions should be discussed with your treating doctor. WHO’s 5 Moments for Medication Safety encourages patients and caregivers to actively participate when starting, taking, adding, reviewing and stopping medicines. Ask questions when you do not understand your treatment There is no such thing as a “silly” question when it concerns your health. Before leaving a consultation, make sure you understand: If you are caring for an elderly parent, child or another family member, write the instructions down. Clear communication is one of the simplest ways patients and healthcare teams can work together toward safer care. WHO’s patient-safety guidance specifically highlights communication and patient/family involvement as important components of safer healthcare. Bring your previous medical records A patient’s medical history does not start with today’s consultation. Previous: can help doctors understand the bigger picture. This becomes especially important when a patient has a chronic condition or is consulting a new specialist. For example, a person with diabetes may eventually need assessment involving General Medicine, Endocrinology, Cardiology, Nephrology, Neurology, Ophthalmology or other specialties depending on their individual health needs. MedUnited’s connected-care model is designed around coordination across hospitals, emergency centres, clinics, diagnostics, pharmacy, home care and specialist services. Chronic diseases need regular follow-up – even when you feel well This is one of the most important messages I give my patients. Many chronic conditions can remain relatively silent for a long time. A person may feel perfectly fine while blood pressure, blood glucose, kidney function or other health parameters are not adequately controlled. That is why chronic disease management is not simply: Diagnosis → Medicine → Done It is more like: Assessment → Treatment → Monitoring → Review → Adjustment → Follow-up The CDC recommends regular checkups for people living with chronic diseases so that treatment can be reviewed and adjusted when needed. It also emphasizes learning self-management skills and communicating new or worsening symptoms to the healthcare team. Diabetes requires more than checking blood sugar For someone living with diabetes, safe care involves more than looking at one glucose reading. Depending on the individual’s condition, doctors may need to consider: At MedUnited, the General Medicine department provides chronic disease management, preventive care and medical support, while the hospital also has specialist services including Cardiology and Nephrology. High blood pressure should not be managed only when symptoms appear Hypertension is another condition where regular monitoring matters. Some people stop taking their medication because they do not have headaches, dizziness or other noticeable symptoms. But absence of symptoms does not necessarily mean blood pressure is controlled. Safe hypertension management may involve: For patients who also have diabetes or kidney disease, coordinated care may become