I’ve been shouting this message from my rooftop for years* – patients who communicate effectively and actively engage in their care have better outcomes and a reduced risk of medical errors. However, for hospitalized patients, this can be tricky. Ideally, doctors would include patients and/or family members in their daily “rounds” conversations. But, not all hospitals […]
Archive | Hospital Issues
How Can Hospitals Reduce Medication Errors?
For hospitalized patients, medication is often an important part of treatment and/or recovery. It would be easy to assume that your nurse is giving you the right medication at the right time, but unfortunately that is not always the case. Medication errors in hospitals are common and can be dangerous. How can hospitals reduce medication […]
Dangers in Hospitals
We go to the hospital for care and recovery. Certainly no one wants to get sicker in the hospital, but it happens more often than most people realize. There are dangers in hospitals, and other healthcare facilities, that can cause serious harm, even death. Each year ECRI* compiles of a list of top health technology […]
Health Hazards in Hospitals
As a patient, it’s scary be in the hospital. It’s equally scary when your loved one is in the hospital. We all worry about health and recovery. Most of us don’t worry about the risk of getting sicker from health hazards in the hospital. But we should. It turns out there are dangers lurking in […]
Nurse Stress and Fatigue Can Impact Your Health
How well do you function when you’re exhausted and overwhelmed? There’s no need to answer that, because no one is at their best under those conditions. We’ve all had times in our lives when exhaustion made it hard to concentrate and function. However, if you’re an exhausted and/or stressed nurse responsible for patients’ lives, the […]
How Well Does Your Hospital Manage Sepsis Infections?
No one goes into the hospital expecting to pick up a potentially deadly sepsis infection. Yet it’s killing hundreds of thousands of people every year. Some hospitals are better than others at identifying and treating sepsis. How well does your hospital manage sepsis infections? The what, how and why of sepsis. What is sepsis? Sepsis […]
What Happens if You Don’t Get Your Test Results When You Leave the Hospital?
As a hospital patient, it is almost certain that your doctors will order tests to determine your diagnosis and/or treatment plans. Getting the results of these tests, and following through with care based on the findings, is critical for your health. But sometimes you don’t get these results before you are discharged. What happens if you don’t […]
Steps Hospital Patients Can Take to Resolve Problems
When you or a loved one are in the hospital, you are likely to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Physical symptoms, a lack of sleep, and uncertainty about the future are all hard to withstand. What can make all of this even harder to tolerate? Difficult relationships with your medical team, confusion regarding treatment options, financial […]
New Trends in Healthcare: Concierge Doctors, Smart Hospitals
By zaggocare on January 22, 2018 in Evaluating a Doctor or Hospital, Hospital Issues, Trends in Healthcare
This is the 3rd post of my 4-part series on new trends in healthcare. Today’s post focuses on concierge doctors and smart hospitals. To read the other posts in this series: Telehealth and medical scribes Uber vs ambulances, EMT care in your home and tablets for hospital patients Personal tracking devices and digital pills More […]
Hospital Safety Grades – How Safe are Hospitals?
By zaggocare on December 4, 2017 in Evaluating a Doctor or Hospital, Hospital Issues, Medical Errors, Patient Safety
Learning about your hospital’s safety record may safe your life! Hospitals are where we go to seek care and treatment. Many of us go fully expecting to heal and come home better than when we went in. And no one goes expecting to get sicker. And while all hospitals have policies and procedures in place […]