Help After Harm

Please note: experiencing harm in healthcare is traumatic for many people. Thinking about your own healthcare harm might bring up strong emotions. Take care as you explore this website. You might choose to find a calm time when you can focus on yourself, or make sure that a friend or family member is around to provide support if you need it. There are also links to information about getting professional support, on our resources page.

The healthcare system and its providers have important roles in our health and wellbeing. Whether we are getting a routine check-up, major surgery, or specialized care, we place great trust in the providers caring for us and our loved ones.

we expect to feel safe and supported in healthcare

But, sometimes, healthcare experiences do not make you feel this way. Negative experiences with healthcare can happen in many ways, such as receiving a misdiagnosis, a surgical error, or being mistreated or dismissed by staff. When negative healthcare experiences happen, you might be left with feelings such as confusion, anger, shame, distrust, or betrayal. When you expected help from healthcare, you felt harmed instead.

Being harmed by healthcare is a difficult experience. Finding support may be especially difficult. Help for Healthcare Harm is an online resource to support you in acknowledging, validating, and managing your experiences related to healthcare harm.

This is a self-directed resource that includes activities, information, stories, and links to other resources that may help you with navigating your experiences.

The goal of this resource is to provide you with some support and information as you move through your journey. This is just one small part of the whole picture, but one that many patients have found is missing.

Partner logos

This project would not have been possible without these partners.