Hospital errors are often caught because a family member or advocate says, “That doesn’t make sense to me.”

If you are facing a hospital stay and have no relative or someone else trustworthy and willing to watch out for you and can afford it, you might consider hiring a patient advocate or private duty nurse. Some hospitals employ patient advocates to help sort out miscommunications. A registry of private-duty nurses available by the day may be available at your hospital. Private patient advocacy groups exist too, but they can be pricey, and not all medical staff welcome involvement of a third party.

Hospitals are becoming more open to support people in patient rooms and are even designing new hospitals with bigger rooms to accommodate more people, some even providing something to sleep on overnight, especially in children’s rooms.