Medical Mistakes: Keep Your Kids Safe

If your child needs a procedure, seek out a children’s hospital. “In a truly dedicated children’s hospital, there won’t be [potential dangers] like adult medications and adult devices around,” says Robert M. Wachter, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco. “When kids and adults are together, the chance of mixing up the two goes up.” Plus, in a kid-specific facility, it’s more likely that a whole team—not just the surgeon but the anesthesiologists and nurses, too—will be trained in the unique challenges of pediatric care.

Next: What to Do if the Hospital Makes a Mistake