One out of every 15 children hospitalized in the U.S. is harmed by medication errors, and a campaign has been launched to reduce those mistakes.

The key to the campaign:  parents.

The nationwide effort encourages parents to get more actively involved in their children's medical care.  The new effort is sponsored by The Joint Commission, the organization that accredits U.S. healthcare providers, as part of its ongoing program called Speak Up™.

The campaign is designed to help parents make a difference in their children's care by asking the right questions and being proactive, whether it's at the doctor's office, in the hospital, or even at home.

"Your child's health and safety are important to doctors, nurses and other caregivers, and the best way to make sure that your child receives the care that he or she needs is by being an active member of the healthcare team," says Mark R. Chassin, M.D., M.P.P., M.P.H., president of The Joint Commission. "Through the Speak Up™ program, The Joint Commission is helping parents by giving them the tools they need to ask the right questions and take action before, during and after their child's care."

The consequences of medication mistakes can be especially devastating for children, The Joint Commission says. The one-in-15 error rate that the campaign seeks to turn around was documented in a 2008 study by the National Initiative for Children's Health Care Quality.

The new Speak Up™ campaign offers parents questions and answers that can help them navigate many common, yet complex, healthcare situations. Among the topics are:

* Preparing for a child's visit to the doctor's office
* Symptoms that mean a child should go to the doctor or hospital immediately
* What parents should ask the doctor
* Taking medicine safely
* Having a medical or laboratory test
* Going to the hospital
* Having a safe operation
   
The overall Speak Up™ program urges patients, including parents and guardians of children, to:

* Speak Up™ if they have questions or concerns. If they still don't understand, ask again. It's the patient's body, and the patient has a right to know.
* Pay attention to the care received. Always make sure to get the right treatments and medicines by the right healthcare professionals. Don't assume anything.
* Educate themselves about their illnesses. Learn about the medical tests and treatment plan.
* Ask a trusted family member or friend to be an advocate (adviser or supporter).
* Know what medicines are taken and why they are taken. Medicine errors are the most common healthcare mistakes.
* Use a hospital, clinic, surgery center, or other type of healthcare organization that has been carefully checked out. For example, The Joint Commission visits hospitals to see if they are meeting The Joint Commission's quality standards.
* Participate in all decisions about treatment received. The patient is the center of the healthcare team.
   
Speak Up™ brochures also are available on pain relief, understanding caregivers, medical tests, recovering after leaving the hospital, preventing medication mistakes, preventing infections, preparing to become a living organ donor, avoiding wrong-site surgery and preventing errors in care.

Brochures can be found at http://www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/SpeakUp/. They are available in English and Spanish.