Here are articles from our Prepared Patient feature series about finding and using safe, decent health care. These articles are based on interviews with experts and people around the country about some of their experiences finding doctors, hospitals and urgent care centers.

In the right column, Prepared Patient 411 offers online, phone and community resources to assist you. And in Related Research, we share the most current scientific research in brief news stories.

We invite you to share your own experiences finding and using health care. You can post a reply to any of our featured articles, blogs and news stories.

Reducing Your Risk of Medical Errors Recovering from a knee replacement is difficult under the best of circumstances, but for Herminia Briones, the year following her surgery was filled with unexpected pain, complications and confusion. “There were a couple of times that the [physical] therapist didn’t conduct the therapy because my knee and lower leg were very red and swollen,” Briones recalls. “During those times I was told to see the orthopedic surgeon on top of my usual post-op visits, which I did. At each of those times and my other post-op visits, I complained of the pain and the swelling but the surgeon said that it was normal and that it takes about a year for the knee to completely heal.” She was treated by the surgeon for scar adhesions and then a blood clot. Later, during a routine visit with her primary care doctor, Briones discovered that her knee was badly infected. Her knee implant had to be removed and replaced. “One would think that the [surgeon] should have worked on eliminating the greatest risks of why my knee was in pain and swollen,” she said. “He did not order any tests to rule out infection until my primary physician flagged it down. I even recall telling him in one of my visits that I could have an infection; but he did not follow through with my suspicion.” In pain while still undergoing therapy, follow-up care and observation, Briones knew that something had gone wrong. How could she fix the error and get back on the road to recovery? READ MORE
Using Physician Rating Websites User reviews and ratings on Websites can help you locate a reputable handyman, the perfect restaurant for your anniversary dinner or the right TV for your den. So why wouldn't you turn to the Internet to find your next doctor? New health review sites promise to help you make this important decision for yourself or your loved ones. However, patients and physicians alike are finding that these doctor reviews aren't as transparent or useful as they might seem. READ MORE
In Case of Emergency: Who's Who in the ER While commuting to work in September 2009, Ashley Finley stopped her bike short to avoid a pedestrian — and flew over the handlebars, hitting her head on the pavement. Her chin gushing blood and with concerns about head injury, Ashley and her partner, Goldie Pyka*, immediately headed to an ER. Though their wait time in the Washington, D.C., emergency room was minimal, Pyka says she felt surprised by the number of people who participated in Ashley's care. "I was expecting to see one person, tell them what happened and have that person help. I wasn't expecting to interact with that many people and to not really be told who they were and what they were there for. I felt we were very passive in the whole experience," Pyka says. READ MORE
Giving Your Doctor the Pink Slip After Lois Anderson had breast cancer, her cancer doctor told her to see another specialist when she kept feeling like she had the flu. Afraid the cancer had returned, Anderson was looking for quick action and a doctor who would listen. She wanted the best. It turns out "the best" in her York, Pa., hometown was a chest surgeon who was known for his skills as a surgeon and for thinking a lot of himself. But Anderson was determined to keep an open mind. READ MORE
Retail Clinics: What's in Store for Health Care You've got that telltale tickle in your throat again, and you're pretty sure it's not just another cold. But your doctor's office says the next open appointment is in two weeks. You're traveling for business in another city. You don't have a primary care physician to call. You're self-employed and don't have health insurance. For all these reasons and more, potential patients are turning increasingly to retail clinics to cure their minor ailments. READ MORE
Can Hospital Report Cards Help You? Greg Reid sits at the kitchen table with his wife Amy Thorson and his sister-in-law Jennifer Thorson, looking over a copy of an online report card that compares the performance of hospitals in their hometown of Tucson, Ariz. This is the first time that any of them have looked at a hospital report card, but they are already convinced that the hospitals in their areas are not all the same. However, they didn't get that opinion from perusing an official report card. Instead, what they know about the hospitals is "recommendations, word-of-mouth, and sometimes articles in the newspaper," Amy Thorson says. READ MORE
When Getting to the Doctor Is Half the Battle All patients have their stories of hassles: hustling against traffic to inconvenient doctor appointments, not to mention waiting on hold to schedule a follow-up visit. But what if you couldn't read the road signs on your way or hear the options on your physician's answering service? READ MORE

 

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