CARE TEAM
IN 1999, THE INSTITUTE OF
Medicine, an agency of the U.S.
government, issued a report,
To Err
Is Human
, which highlighted the
death of between 44,000 and 98,000
Americans each year due to medical
errors. This report recommended
that efforts be made to increase
awareness that medical outcomes
can be improved when patients
take responsibility for their own
health care decisions in partnership
with their health care providers.
Kootenai Health took action on that
recommendation with great results.
T H E P A T I E N T ’ S R O L E
Research shows that greater patient
involvement in health care improves
the quality of that care and lessens
the number of medical errors. Good
communication between health care
providers and patients leads to bet-
ter outcomes. Patient and family
involvement is more important than
ever to achieve safe and error-free
patient care.
As a participating partner on their
own health care team, patients feel
empowered to ask questions, seek
out new information, and actively
participate in fnding answers and
solutions. In this new kind of health
care team, the patient has begun to
take on amuchmore active role in the
health care decision-making process.
Kootenai has created a culture of
safety that includes patients and fam-
ilies as part of the health care team.
P A T I E N T P A R T N E R S
Partners for Health
By Beth Hill, Ph.D., M.L.S., A.H.I.P., manager, Library and Information Center
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