Sunday, February 8, 2015

Preventing a Hospital Infection and Other Mishaps

3. Never go to the hospital alone.
"The most important thing is to have an advocate with you," Henry says.

Because you may not be functioning in top condition, ask a friend or family member to be another set of eyes and ears. They can make sure everything goes smoothly, from the way you're treated to the medications you're given.

"If you're unconscious, the advocate can remind staff to follow infection protocols and keep an account of details the patient might want to know," Henry says.

Ask your advocate to stay during your surgery to answer questions or provide details about you or your care.

4. Avoid surgery in July.
According to the 2011 University of California study mentioned earlier, July is the worst month to schedule a stay in a teaching hospital.

That's because death rates increase in teaching hospitals between 8% and 34% that month, coinciding with the arrival of freshmen residents.

That doesn't mean "patients should delay care they need, but they should be aware of the July staff turnover," says John Q. Young, M.D., M.P.P., associate program director of the Residency Training Program, Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author of the July death rate study.

"That's another important reason to have someone come to the hospital who can advocate for you."

Every team has experienced doctors overseeing care provided by residents, and patients may ask to see the attending physician if they're worried about hospital care, Dr. Young says.