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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Families Are Not Visitors But Advocates for Care
A Wall Street Journal article explores the notion that families are in the best position to be advocates for their loved ones health but can not be looked upon as mere visitors in the hospital but as Beverly Johnson, president of the nonprofit Institute for Family-Centered Care, puts it "allies and partners for safety and quality." Hospitals that have embraced this report increased satisfaction levels and decreased turnover. And ultimately the reduction of unnecessary medical errors makes the patient the ultimate victor in this scenario. Is your hospital (nursing home, assisted living facility, adult day center, CCRC) inviting your input into care or snubbing their nose? Are you participating in the plan of care? You decide. We need to be advocates for each other.
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2 comments:
The Wall Street Journal had it right when they wrote about family members acting as advocates, as watchdogs, for loved ones who are in the hospital. Family members and good friends can oversee their loved one's medical care simply by being at bedside and keeping track of medications administered, repeating the patient's name and birthdate with each medical professional who comes in contact with the patient, accompanying the patient to the OR and speaking with the surgeon or anesthesiologist and nurses involved and repeating the checklist plus going over the exact surgery cite on the patient's body and the name of the surgery. In my new book, Critical Conditions: The Essential Hospital Guide To Get Your Loved One Out Alive, it explains exactly how to be a proactive advocate to prevent medical errors, medication mistakes, the spread of hospital-acquired infectious diseases and much more. www.criticalconditions.com
Martine - thanks. You should touch base with my patient advocate friend Trisha Torrey. She is the about.com expert for patient advocacy. Thanks for commenting.
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