Great job bringing the HAI issue to people's attention, Hannah. Unfortunately too many people are educated the hard way - only learning about the potential problem after it is affecting them or their loved ones. Pat Mastors, who lost her father to a HAI, now acts as a patient safety advocate to empower and help prevent tragedies due to HAI. She recent wrote:
"We can’t have enough awareness of how important it is to be proactive as hospital patients. The environment in these facilities is just too complex, the “bugs” that make us sick are getting stronger every day, caregivers are busier than ever, and even the best of them can’t attain perfection in ensuring no harm will come to us. The risk of infection is around 1 in 15, and studies show one in 3 patients will suffer some kind of medical error while hospitalized. There is no “re-do” of a hospitalization; what I’m passionate about is engaging patients to help ensure we “get it right” the first time. We’ve got to use our eyes, ears and brains, and contribute!
Vigilance is key — before and during your stay. If you must have surgery, ask about the infection rate for that procedure (and how many of them that surgeon has done. You should also understand which part of the surgery may be performed by a less-experienced associate). Do advance online research about your hospital at http://hospitalcompare.hhs.gov and bring an advocate to the hospital with you (24/7, if they’ll do it). Bring a notepad, pen and hand sanitizer (and use it often), and write everything down (medications, doses, names of people caring for you, etc.) If you’ll be in the hospital for a while, ask about the chain of command early on, before there are problems, so you’ll have the info in case something comes up. Make sure the doctor leaves an order for pain and sleeping meds if needed before s/he leaves for the night. A download of six essential tips is available on our website, and there are links to other organizations that inform and educate here: http://www.thepatientpod.com/helpful-links.html. Last, if it’s ever in your life important to be nice to the staff, it’s while you’re in the hospital. They’re busy and stressed, too. If you can help a hospitalized loved one by straightening the bed or fetching water, it frees the staff for higher-level tasks. You’ll find them appreciative, and when you really do need them, they’ll likely be more responsive.
All of this advice was hard-won by fellow patient advocates who’ve lived through tremendous personal loss when things fell through the cracks. None of us wants this to happen to others.
There are literally hundreds of organizations in this country — within the medical profession, government and the patient advocate community — working to improve patient safety, patient engagement and patient awareness. Yet, as harm in hospitals continues, obviously we’re not doing a good enough job of fixing things. So, apologies for being so long-winded … but if even one person reads this and it makes a difference, it’s worth it."
Mastors lobbied successfully to pass two Rhode Island state laws improving patient safety, and in 2010 was one of a select group of patient advocates invited by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to participate in its first-ever Leadership Summit for Patient Activists and Partners in Quality and Safety. Mastors serves on the HAI reporting advisory committee for the Rhode Island Department of Health, and on the Advisory Board to the Small Business Development Center at Johnson & Wales University. She also founded Pear Health, LLC and created a portable patient safety and wellness product called The Patient Pod. Come join our wellness conversation on Facebook.
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Great job bringing the HAI issue to people's attention, Hannah. Unfortunately too many people are educated the hard way - only learning about the potential problem after it is affecting them or their loved ones. Pat Mastors, who lost her father to a HAI, now acts as a patient safety advocate to empower and help prevent tragedies due to HAI. She recent wrote:
"We can’t have enough awareness of how important it is to be proactive as hospital patients. The environment in these facilities is just too complex, the “bugs” that make us sick are getting stronger every day, caregivers are busier than ever, and even the best of them can’t attain perfection in ensuring no harm will come to us. The risk of infection is around 1 in 15, and studies show one in 3 patients will suffer some kind of medical error while hospitalized. There is no “re-do” of a hospitalization; what I’m passionate about is engaging patients to help ensure we “get it right” the first time. We’ve got to use our eyes, ears and brains, and contribute!
Vigilance is key — before and during your stay. If you must have surgery, ask about the infection rate for that procedure (and how many of them that surgeon has done. You should also understand which part of the surgery may be performed by a less-experienced associate). Do advance online research about your hospital at http://hospitalcompare.hhs.gov and bring an advocate to the hospital with you (24/7, if they’ll do it). Bring a notepad, pen and hand sanitizer (and use it often), and write everything down (medications, doses, names of people caring for you, etc.) If you’ll be in the hospital for a while, ask about the chain of command early on, before there are problems, so you’ll have the info in case something comes up. Make sure the doctor leaves an order for pain and sleeping meds if needed before s/he leaves for the night. A download of six essential tips is available on our website, and there are links to other organizations that inform and educate here: http://www.thepatientpod.com/helpful-links.html. Last, if it’s ever in your life important to be nice to the staff, it’s while you’re in the hospital. They’re busy and stressed, too. If you can help a hospitalized loved one by straightening the bed or fetching water, it frees the staff for higher-level tasks. You’ll find them appreciative, and when you really do need them, they’ll likely be more responsive.
All of this advice was hard-won by fellow patient advocates who’ve lived through tremendous personal loss when things fell through the cracks. None of us wants this to happen to others.
There are literally hundreds of organizations in this country — within the medical profession, government and the patient advocate community — working to improve patient safety, patient engagement and patient awareness. Yet, as harm in hospitals continues, obviously we’re not doing a good enough job of fixing things. So, apologies for being so long-winded … but if even one person reads this and it makes a difference, it’s worth it."
Mastors lobbied successfully to pass two Rhode Island state laws improving patient safety, and in 2010 was one of a select group of patient advocates invited by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to participate in its first-ever Leadership Summit for Patient Activists and Partners in Quality and Safety. Mastors serves on the HAI reporting advisory committee for the Rhode Island Department of Health, and on the Advisory Board to the Small Business Development Center at Johnson & Wales University. She also founded Pear Health, LLC and created a portable patient safety and wellness product called The Patient Pod. Come join our wellness conversation on Facebook.
Thanks Hannah!
October 24, 2011 - 11:31am~Aimee
Pear Health, LLC
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