The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services AHRQ website is an awesome resource for patients and healthcare providers alike. It is refreshing to have a reliable and trustworthy resource to give to those types of patients who are extremely involved in their own healthcare and are often doing their own research to stay informed. I loved the part titled For Your Health, and I learned a lot reading the information provided there too! There are great articles about choosing quality care including information about how to use the ER wisely, how to choose a good hospital and how to file grievances, or complaints and actually see some action. I would have loved to have known about this site a few months earlier to offer to the family of a patient of mine. The patient was elderly and couldn't take care of herself, but also couldn't be cared for 24/7 by her family. The family was suddenly presented with the responsibility of choosing a nursing home for their loved one, but had no experience in that or where to start. There is a link here to compare nursing homes and a tool to help you choose one that suites you best. These are great resources to help the patients and their families be involved in and informed about their own healthcare. Whenever patients feel like they have an active part in their own care, they feel more empowered and are more likely to want to do their part and help themselves as well.
These are also great references and sources for healthcare providers. I liked reading about the barcode medication administration. I have worked in a couple of hospitals where this intervention is not yet implemented and a couple where it is. I can say from experience that I feel MUCH safer with the barcode method.
This website is highly related to regulatory, accreditation, and reimbursement issues. These are issues that patients have a right to know about and should know about. Patients, as well as healthcare workers, who are also in a way consumers at healthcare facilities, should know the measures that their hospital is required to meet in order to gain accreditation. They should know the regulations so as to judge whether they feel their hospital is living up to its requirements. Patients deserve safe care and they deserve to feel like they have a choice in which facility to attend, and once there, that they will receive the best care possible. I think spreading this information, such as the measures required to meet accreditation, to the public and to patients will only encourage the healthcare facilities to improve and progress because there will be more informed people watching their actions. I, personally, am happy to have this as a source now so that I can stay up to date on the same issues.
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