I just read “Failing To Report Severe Drug Side Effects: A National Embarrassment,” written by Forbes contributor Luke Timmerman. He talks about his recent personal experience with our health system and what he believes is poor adherence to the reporting of adverse events.
Why should patients or their loved ones have to demand that healthcare professionals report adverse events? Why do patients have to take matters into their own hands? Isn’t it the responsibility of doctors, nurses, or other medical professionals to make sure we’re in good hands?
While adverse events continue to be underreported, we, as patients, do have a few tools to combat the gaps in our system. Most importantly, we can report an adverse event via the FDA’s MedWatch Form. Another option is to leverage online communities, such as Patients Like Me and Iodine, to share our experiences with patients.
