Can patients be part of the solution? Views on their role in preventing medical errors.

This AHRQ-funded study conducted interviews with nearly 200 participants to assess their likelihood of engaging in preventive actions to avoid medical errors. The 14 preventive actions discussed were from a list generated by an AHRQ publication as well as from focus groups conducted by CMS. The investigators discovered significant variability in both the perceived effectiveness of a given action and the likelihood of taking that action. The authors advocate for greater attention to educating patients about their own safety, along with broader safety issues.