Tools, checklists and information to help you safely navigate the health care system and receive the effective care you and your family need.

Topics:

• Maternal Child Care
• Preventing Infections
• Surgical Safety
• Safely Using the Health Care System
• Using Medications Safely

Maternal Child Health

• Ask the experts about pregnancy, prematurity and newborns
• A pregnancy glossary
• Preterm labor safely
• Understanding the NICU
• Tour premature baby
• Safely taking care of a sick baby
• Providing a safe home environment for your baby

Preventing Infections

• What you can do to prevent infections in the hospital
• Preventing infection if you have a urinary catheter
• Preventing infections (different languages)
• Preventing infections during cancer treatment
• Preventing infections by keeping your hospital room clean
• Reduce your risk of infection before an ambulatory procedure
• Simple steps to reducing health care associated infections

Surgical Safety

• Surgical safety checklist for your provider
• Having surgery?  Questions to ask your doctor and surgeon.
• Taking care of myself: A guide for when I leave the hospital
  (Spanish version)
• Blood thinner pills: Your guide to using them safely (Spanish version)
• Reduce your risk of infection before an outpatient procedure
• Your guide to preventing and treating blood clots

Safely Using the Health Care System

• Understanding insurance (Spanish version)
• Navigating the health care system (videos)
• Five steps to safer health care (Spanish version)
• Quick tips when talking with your doctor
• Patient/provider partnership
• Checklist for getting the right diagnosis
• Explore your treatment options
• 20 tips to help medical errors (Spanish version)
• Personal health record guide
• Keeping track of your health care information
• Wallet card for medical information
• Chronic disease and the medical home
• How to complain and get heard
• Keeping healthy when the economy is not
• Safely changing health care settings
• How to use the emergency room wisely

Using Medications Safely

• Tips for using medicines safely
• Your medicine: Be smart, be safe
• Quick tips - When getting a prescription
• Medications and children
• Medicines in your home: A guide for using over-the-counter medications safely (Spanish version)
• Checklist for choosing over-the-counter medications safely
• Spanish medication list tool