Safety Resources - The Empowered Patient

The following resources will help you find the best information, assist you in making excellent health decisions, and support your to full participation in your health care. Patients and their advocates need skills in communicating effectively with providers, in asking important and appropriate questions, and in forming effective partnerships with their physicians to achieve an optimal level of health and wellness.

While it appears on the surface that people who are struggling with illness should not have to shoulder the responsibility for ensuring safe care, the reality is that patients today and their advocates must step up to the plate. You must be informed, proactive and vocal about your medical care because patients who participate in their care experience better outcomes and greater satisfaction.

These resources are realistic, practical and could very well save your life or the life of someone you love.

Free Hospital Guide and Patient Journal

The Empowered Patient® Hospital Guide and Patient Journal help patients and their advocates prepare for hospitalization and navigate the hospital hierarchy. Both resources assist patients and families from diagnosis to discharge and recovery. Each section of the Hospital Guide is a separate, stand-alone chapter – you do not have to read or use the guide in a certain order. The Guide is designed to be a valuable resource for each situation that may arise in your health care experiences. The Patient Journal is a resource to help you keep track of the many details involved in patient care. Professionals rely on recorded medical information – and so do patients and families.

This and all of our other free patient education resources are available at EngagedPatients.org. Simply sign up for free to have full access.

Fact Sheets and Checklists

The fact sheets provide specific guidance in key areas including doctor visits, speaking up about your care, second opinions, infection control, and preventing medical errors. Please read the fact sheets, print them, and refer to them when interacting with your providers or when you or a loved one is interacting with the health care system.

Empowered Patient Coalition Fact Sheets

“Ten Things Patients Should Know” Fact Sheets

For patients and advocates who may find themselves without much time to research or prepare, “Ten Things” fact sheets provide a logical starting point for successful health care experiences.

Access “Ten Things Patients Should Know” Fact Sheets

Patient Participation Forms

Patient participation forms are tools for patients, family members, and caregivers to use to prepare for health care encounters, to participate in their visits, and to keep track of important information during hospitalization.

Please print the appropriate form, fill in the information, and share with your providers. Use the back of each for additional notes and keep a copy for your own personal health record.

Access Patient Participation forms here

Online Patient Safety Courses

The Empowered Patient Coalition has put together two full online courses that can teach you about patient safety. Each course is divided into several easy-to-follow lessons with a quiz at the end of each lesson to help you gauge your understanding of the material.

Take a FREE online patient safety class

SBAR Communication Script

Communication challenges are implicated in many adverse events in health care. Hone your communication skills by using the same SBAR communication technique used by hospital staff to communicate with each other.

Find inpatient and outpatient SBAR communication forms for patients and families here.

Patient Decision Support Web App

The Empowered Patient® Decision Support web app is a series of ten questions that help identify areas in which patients may need help and support when making health care decisions. The app produces a streamlined pdf report of areas where the patient feels confident and decisive – and areas in which the patient may need information and guidance.

Patients and family members answer the questions and generate and control their own data by viewing, saving, printing, and/or sharing the report with other family members, advocates, or providers. The green column in the pdf report represents the areas that the patient has made a decision or feels confident in their situation. The orange column lists actions that the patient needs to take or to complete to assist in the decision-making process. The red column lists areas in which patients may need direct assistance from their providers.

The report functions as a common starting point to ensure that everyone is on the same page and helps move the decision-making process forward successfully.

Access the EPC Patient Decision Support Web App here