Speak Up!

Posted on November 9, 2022

Hospitals work hard to make care safe, but it’s no secret that our medical providers are stretched and stressed. Inevitably cracks in care occur which accidentally harm about 12 million patients and cause more than 400,000 needless deaths. Just in the US, alone. Every year.

Hospitals work hard to make care safe, but it’s no secret that our medical providers are stretched and stressed. Inevitably cracks in care occur which accidentally harm about 12 million patients and cause more than 400,000 needless deaths. Just in the US, alone. Every year.

The solution? Pitch in for patients![i]

Speak up to:

1. Prevent infection. Make sure everyone washes their hands before touching any patient. Preventing infection is everyone’s job and simple hand washing with soap and water, or an alcohol-based cleanser goes a long way toward protecting every patient in the hospital.

2. Get the correct diagnosis. 1 out of 20 diagnoses is Incorrect. Ask lots of questions. Get a 2nd opinion. If you share your symptoms with 2 different doctors, your diagnoses may be very different, especially if they are specialists. It’s worth asking your doc to think outside their own box. It matters A LOT because your treatment plan depends on it.

3. For possible alternatives to Surgery. About 40% of recommended surgeries are unnecessary. Studies have shown that the more patients know about a recommended surgery, the more likely they are to find another treatment that works for them. Never hesitate to seek 2nd or 3rd opinions and don’t let anyone tell you that any surgery is “routine.” There are often good rewards for having surgery, but there are always risks.[ii]

4. For plain speak. Remind your doctors and nurses that you didn’t go to medical school! People just tend to nod their heads and listen -- but leave feeling confused and no better informed about their own health and care!

5. Speak up for Alarms. Alarm fatigue is a very real problem, and dangerous. It refers to times when we tune out noises in order to focus on a task at hand. On busy hospital units, people on the medical team do this, too. They try not to, but it’s a natural reaction to some when they're trying to focus on care tasks at hand.

- Speak up when your alarms go off or when you hear other patients’ alarms ringing or beeping. It takes a village!

- Also, if one of your monitors is ringing because it is actually not working correctly – ask for a replacement, a machine that’s in good working order. You deserve peace of mind that your monitor is doing its job for you![iii]

6. About Drug Costs! Doctors don’t know them. There may be cheaper alternatives. When you get a new prescription, it’s OK to ask your doctor, nurse, discharge planner or advocate office to find out the cost for you. If it’s more than you can afford, it’s OK to ask about a potential alternative. You may also contact the company that makes the drug to ask about any discounts they can give you or if they have any assistance programs.

It really pays to know the costs. Skipping meds is dangerous, but so is going broke because of them.

7. For a safe discharge. You don’t have to go home if you’re not ready – or if your home isn’t ready for you! Simply say: “This is an unsafe discharge.”

8. About your patient status. Observation? Admitted? Know the Medicare loophole.

Just because you’re wearing a hospital gown and in a hospital bed (hopefully in a room!) and doctors have been seeing you, it does not mean you are an “Admitted patient”. Why does that make a difference?

Hospital admission status affects Medicare coverage of skilled nursing services that may be needed after discharge from the hospital -- and it can cost patients BIG $$ if Medicare doesn’t cover it.

9. For safe surgery! 3 critical questions make a critical difference

a. Does the surgery team use a checklist?

b. Does the surgery team take a time-out in the operating room before surgery?

c. Is everyone on the surgery team Board Certified -- including the anesthesiologist?[iv]

Numerous studies show that these 3 things contribute to better surgery results.

On the last point, more and more surgeries are being performed at stand-alone outpatient surgery centers, which have not been as well monitored for safety as hospitals. While this is changing, board accreditation is a particularly critical question when considering outpatient surgery beyond hospital walls.

10. Speak up for help!

a. Your friends and family

b. Professional Advocates

c. Local social service agencies

d. www.LotsaHelpingHands.org

When you speak up for yourself, you’re really speaking up for everyone.[v]

Comments, questions or needing additional information on any of these tips. Reach out: [email protected] or 941.267.7109.

[i] The Care Partner Project - How to Get Good Health Care. TheCarePartnerProject.: How to get good care for all the people you love.
[ii] See questions to ask at TheCarePartnerProject.org
[iii] See more about alarms: TheCarePartnerProject.org/TIPS
[iv] See other key questions and tips at TheCarePartnerProject.org/Safe-Surgery
[v] See other key to-dos to prevent infection at TheCarePartnerProject.org/Prevent-Infection.