8 steps to better, more comfortable hospital stays

These steps can help you prevent something from going awry the next time you go to the hospital.

Before there's an emergency, or when you scheduled procedure), check out local hospitals covered by your insurance. Among the questions to ask:

• Does the hospital employ physicians who specialize in intensive care and doctors who manage your total care during your stay?
• Will they brief your family doctor before you leave?
• Do they have a pharmacist on daily rounds? This lowers drug errors.
• Is there physician order entry system for in-hospital prescriptions computerized?
• Ask about the nurse-to-patient ratio. There's no magic number, but lower is better.

• New studies show that doctors who have more experience performing specific procedures really do get the best results.
• Ask your doctor how many times they perform the procedure in a year, and how many in their career.
• In general, patients at high-volume hospitals are less likely to die than those at low-volume hospitals.

Always ask about any procedure or treatment that seems unusual.

• Less than half of all hospital nurses and physicians clean their hands between patients. This is one reason that millions of people contract hospital-based infections each year.
• Studies show that its more likely that health-care professionals will wash up, and even use more soap, if someone asks them to
• In Canada, government agencies recently launched a "wash your hands" campaign in the nation's hospitals. The initiative is aimed at cutting infection rates by 10 to 30 percent.

• Find out what kinds of tests, drugs and processes to expect — and whether there are any drugs you should avoid. Write down what you find out.
• During your stay, you or a trusted family member or friend should consult the list each time you're given a drug, a doctor's review or a treatment.
• If it's not on the list, find out more about what it is and why you need it.
• Ask for a delay while hospital staff consult your doctor if you aren't satisfied with than answers.

• Find out from your nurse which doctors and other nurses will be taking care of you.
• Later, if a nurse or intern is doing something that you're not sure is right for you, you can find out who ordered it.
• If the doctor's name isn't on your list, the procedure may be meant for someone else.

You have the right to see your chart. Check to see if treatments on the chart match what your doctor told you to expect.

Before you're discharged, ask the doctor caring for you for written instructions on how you should care for yourself. Look over the instructions and ask questions, or have a friend or family member do it for you.

Each year, a surprising large number of people die in hospitals due to medical mistakes. With these steps, however, you could improve your stay and get better care.