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Center for Disease Control estimates 100,000 deaths each year from infections

Hospitals initially said these infections were a cost of doing business. There were infections but they were to be expected. A study looked at hand washing compliance. 64% of docs in the hospital were not washing their hands! Nurses fared far better in compliance. Peter Provonost created a check list for infection control before surgery. Following the checklist works. Public reporting has also had a dramatic effect. In CT since we began public reporting, there has been a 60% decrease in the numbers of central line infections in the ICU.

A dramatic report in October 2010 documented that 13.5 percent of hospitalized Medicare patients experienced an adverse event.

1 in 3 hospitals harmed during hospital day. 7% are harmed permanently or die.

A Health Affairs study issued in November 2010 documented the rates of adverse events for Medicare patients.

63% of adverse events could have been avoided. The New England Journal of Medicine November 2010.

10% of deaths in this country are the result of health care harm.

Rosemary Gibson, formerly with the Robert Wood John Foundation and author of two books, said that the latest statistics grossly underestimate the scope of the problem She believes that 250,000 preventable deaths a year from health care harm. 100,000 from error, 100,000 infections, 19,000 unnecessary surgery, 15,000 radio over exposure and the remaining from medication interaction – chaotic prescribing.

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Becoming a More Empowered Patient

First, we have chosen to share a video by Consumer Health Choices: Talking With Your Doctor. In it you will see how preparing for you appointment can make a difference.

We have chosen a second video by the National Patient Safety Foundation: AskMe3, to share with you. Here, you learn that there are three important questions to ask your doctor whenever you see him or her.

Finally, we are sharing a series of videos by Dartmouth-Hitchcock:
Self-Advocacy: The Empowered Patient,
Self-Advocacy: Preparing for your Visit,
Self-Advocacy: Why It's Important To Share and
Self-Advocacy: Doing Research.

For the complete story, please click here

5 Things to Know

  1. What you need to know in the Hospital
  2. 15 Steps You Can Take To Reduce Your Risk of a Hospital Infection
  3. Selecting Doctors & Hospitals
  4. What to do to avoid medication error
  5. AHRQ Director Helps Consumers Navigate the Health Care System in a New Advice Column on the Web

You've Suffered Medical Harm - Now What Do You Do?

According to a recent article published by ProPublica titled: So You’ve Become a Patient Safety Statistic – Now What? by Marshall Allen there are six things to do….

  1. Get a copy of medical records.
  2. Make sure the incident is reported internally.
  3. If the patient has died, order a forensic autopsy.
  4. Consider calling an attorney.
  5. Meet with the doctor and hospital officials.
  6. Report the incident to regulators, who can investigate.

For greater detail and more important information, please read the full article.