Patient Safety Online
Visit the following web sites for tips on becoming an informed patient and helping prevent medical error.

• MedlinePlus Patient Safety page -
  from the National Library of Medicine, a selection of quality patient safety information resources.
• Partnering for Patient Empowerment through Community Awareness - collaboration of patient safety advocates, health sciences librarians, health care institutions, and public libraries. to raise awareness and educate consumers on patient safety issues. Includes reading lists and online resource guide.
• Patient Safety Resources for Patients and Families (National Patient Safety Foundation) - patient safety resources for the consumer.
• Medication Safety Alerts for Consumers - from the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices, tips on preventing medication errors.
• Quality of Care - from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, several publications providing patients and families with tips on how to prevent medical error and ensure quality of care.
• Ask Me 3™ - every time you speak to a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist, there are three questions you should ask to help you be better informed about your health and any treatment you may receive.

Finding Reliable Medical Information on the Internet
The web sites featured here have been evaluated for quality and reliability. You can also evaluate the quality of medical information found on other web sites. Read the following articles for tips on evaluating medical information found online.

• Guide to Healthy Web Surfing (MedlinePlus)
• Evaluating Health Information (MedlinePlus)
• How to Evaluate Health Information on the Internet (National Cancer Institute)
• A User's Guide to Finding and Evaluating Health Information on the Web (MLA)