How to Stay Safe in the Hospital
Late last year, Army veteran Sharon Jacks experienced a patient's nightmare...
She'd been scheduled to have her right leg amputated below the knee in September 2025. But then, by mistake, surgeons removed the wrong leg.
According to a lawsuit filed last month, the surgeon had marked the correct leg before the operation. Hospital records also documented two safety checks meant to prevent such mistakes.
None of that prevented them from removing the wrong leg. Even worse, Jacks still had to get her right leg amputated four months later.
The hospital has acknowledged the error, admitting that proper operating-room procedures weren't followed.
Still, it's a downright horrifying mistake. And while wrong-area surgeries like this are rare, it's more common than you might think to experience harm during a hospital stay...
Take, for instance, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2023. Researchers reviewed the records of 2,809 patients hospitalized at 11 Massachusetts hospitals.
They found that nearly 1 in every 4 patients experienced at least one adverse event – meaning they were harmed by the care they received. And of the 978 adverse events documented, nearly 23% could have been prevented. One of the seven deaths recorded was also considered preventable.
The most common type of problem was medication related, which accounted for 39% of the adverse events. Other problems involved surgery or other procedures, nursing care, and hospital-acquired infections ("HAIs").
Hospitals aren't always aware of the harm that might happen under their care...
Last year, a federal investigation found that hospitals failed to capture half of the patient-harm events that happened in 2018 among Medicare patients. Many of these events went unrecorded because hospital staff simply thought they weren't worth reporting.
Now, I'm not bringing all of this up to scare you away from seeking medical care...
Doctors and nurses save lives every day. And yes, sometimes complications can happen even when everything goes right.
But you should still weigh your options before putting your health in someone else's hands...
Six Tips for Your Hospital Stay
Here are some ways to protect yourself before, during, and after a hospital stay...
1. Investigate the hospital.
If you're facing an emergency, you might not have much choice as to where you receive care. But for a planned surgery or procedure, take some time to compare your choices.
I recommend checking out U.S. News & World Report's annual list of its top hospitals in the U.S. The publication has published its best-hospital rankings and ratings for decades. It looks at data such as survival rates for procedures, number of beds, staffing, and medical errors and oversights. It also ranks the best hospitals via specialty.
Another option is Medicare's Care Compare tool that lets you compare hospitals based on patient safety, infections, complications, and other measures.
You can also check out the nonprofit Leapfrog Group, which assigns hospitals and outpatient centers letter grades based on how well they protect patients from medical errors, accidents, and infections.
2. Research your doctor.
The right doctor can mean the difference between life and death. About 85,000 lawsuits are filed for medical malpractice every year in the U.S. According to Stanford University, the worst 1% of physicians are responsible for nearly a third of all paid malpractice claims.
That doesn't mean every doctor who has been sued is a bad doctor. But it still shows why checking credentials is worth your time. If you're considering surgery, ask how many times your surgeon has performed the procedure and what their complication rates are. In addition, you can check whether your doctor is board-certified through the American Board of Medical Specialties. Your state medical board can also help you check licensing and disciplinary history.
And once you've been admitted to the hospital...
3. Ask questions.
Don't be afraid to ask questions about your treatment.
Before surgery, double-check the planned procedure and make sure the correct surgical site is marked. Make sure your doctors and nurses know about every medication and supplement you take on a regular basis. And if someone brings you an unfamiliar drug, ask what it's for before taking it.
If you're too sick, tired, or groggy to keep track of everything, bring a loved one who can speak for you.
4. Watch out for infections.
Let's start with the good news. Hospitals have made some progress in preventing infections...
According to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC"), 1 in 38 hospital patients had at least one HAI on a given day in 2023. That's down from 1 in 31 in 2015 and 1 in 25 in 2011.
But there's still room for improvement... Researchers also estimated that roughly 518,000 infections still occurred in American hospitals in 2023. These included surgical-site infections, pneumonia, urinary-tract infections, and dangerous bloodstream infections.
Some infections can be prevented through proper hand-washing. So make sure you see that your doctors and nurses are cleaning their hands before touching you or handling your medical equipment. You can also ask whether any catheters or IV lines you're using are still necessary. That's because the longer some of these devices stay in you, the greater the chance of infection.
5. Don't rush out the door.
After being cooped up in a hospital bed for days, you might be eager to get home.
I don't blame you. But make sure you understand your discharge instructions before you leave.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recommends reviewing medications, test results, warning signs, and follow-up appointments before leaving the hospital. If possible, have a family member or friend go over these instructions with you.
6. Don't think you're being too demanding.
It's your life that's in their hands. Asking a few extra questions could help you dodge a serious complication. Remember, the only person who will really take care of you... is you.
P.S. Taking charge of your health doesn't stop when you leave the hospital. That includes keeping your brain in good shape as you age. In my newest book, Power Up Your Brain!, I've shared 23 simple, science-backed ways to keep your mind sharp and protect your memory for years to come. Get a copy here.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: A real-life Winnie-the-Pooh breaks into a library.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
October 22, 2026