SPEAK UPTM for Safety
The Joint Commission, together with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), launched a national campaign to urge patients to take an active role in preventing health care errors by becoming involved and informed participants on their health care team.
You can obtain more information on www.jointcommission.org. SPEAK UP encourages consumers to:
Speak up if you have questions or concerns. If you still don’t understand, ask again. It’s your body and you have a right to know.
Pay attention to the care you get. Always make sure you’re getting the right treatments and medicines by the right health care professionals. Don’t assume anything.
Educate yourself about your illness. Learn about the medical tests you get and your treatment plan.
Ask a trusted family member or friend to be your advocate (advisor or supporter).
Know what medications you take and why you take them. Medicine errors are the most common health care mistakes.
Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of health care organization that has been carefully checked out. For example, The Joint Commission visits hospitals to see if they are meeting The Joint Commission's quality standards.
Participate in all decisions about your treatment. You are the center of your health care team.
The health and safety of hospitalized children are also important to our doctors, nurses and other care providers. Parents and guardians are encouraged to use the SPEAK UP program and to be actively involved.
If you are going to be having surgery, please read SPEAK UPTM: Help Avoid Mistakes in Your Surgery.
To learn more about medicine safety, please read SPEAK UPTM: Help Avoid Mistakes With Your Medication.
Click here to watch a video from The Joint Commission's animated Speak Up video series, entitled "Prevent the Spread of Infection."