Navigation Links
How to Survive an Unexpected Trip to the Hospital During Christmas and New Years
Date:12/20/2007

NEW YORK, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hospitals are dangerous places and the danger is even greater over the holidays, when staffing is cut to the bone, temps are relied on more than usual, and the most experienced doctors and nurses are not around.

Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., Chairman of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths, knows from working closely with hospital professionals around the country that hospital staff are eager to improve your safety and will welcome your help. Here are steps you can take to make that unexpected trip to the hospital over the holidays safer.

The guiding principle is to trust your doctors and other caregivers, but not to trust them blindly. Yes, they are skilled, but they're human. As the poet Alexander Pope wrote, "To err is human." Of course, he also added, "To forgive is divine." A noble thought, but why put yourself to the test?

1. If you need to call 911, use a land line if possible. Not all emergency services can locate you when you use a cell phone.

2. Before going to the hospital, even in an emergency, grab all your medications and bring them with you. You want to make sure you don't miss doses of any medications that you take regularly. (Missing doses of Coumadin, an anticoagulant, has caused some patients to have a stroke.) Showing your meds is better than simply telling someone what you take, because medication names sometimes sound alike and are easily confused: Flomax could be Volmax, Vioxx could by Zyvox, and Celebrex has been confused with Cerebyx and Celexa.

3. If you need X-rays or other diagnostic tests late at night or on a holiday, make sure they are reviewed by an experienced radiologist during business hours.

4. Make sure that everyone who treats you knows who you are. Each time you are going to be tested or treated, ask the nurse to read your bracelet. You can do this in a friendly way, saying "I'm Betty Smith, and I just want to make sure I'm t
'/>"/>

SOURCE Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths
Copyright©2007 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related medicine news :

1. Mayo Clinic researchers: Insulin-boosting medication does not impair ability to survive heart attack
2. The Blessing of a Brain Injury: Author Survives Injury to Brain Following Stroke, Uses Injury as Fuel to Overcome Odds
3. St. Jude Finds Link Between Cellular Defense Processes, Showing How Cancer Cells Survive
4. St. Jude finds link between cellular defense processes, showing how cancer cells survive
5. New research explores newborn in-hospital weight loss
6. NYC-area 1st: Morgan Stanley Childrens Hospital performs transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement
7. Norwalk virus: Cruise ship illness challenging and costly to hospitals, too
8. Glades General Hospital First in Palm Beach County to Provide On-Site Electronic Birth Registration
9. Billy Graham Home After Hospitalization:
10. Alvarado Hospital Files Countersuit Against Blue Shield
11. UHW Announces: Antelope Valley Hospital Caregivers and Board Vote to Ratify First Union Contract With SEIU UHW-West
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:7/3/2009)...ANFORD, Calif. The newest revolution in microbiolo...It,s the hair sheep, a less-hirsute version of the...om the Stanford University School of Medicine, whi...that not only are these ruminants low-maintenance ... donors for the microbiology tests necessary to di...
(Date:7/3/2009)...BRECEN, Hungary, July 3 Bertalan M...ublished a free e-guide for medical profession... in medicine. Medical conferences are expensive an... interaction. This eGuide helps doctors enter a vi... meetings for free as Second Life provides opportu...
(Date:7/3/2009)...chers express hope that finding will lead to treat...ws) -- U.S. researchers say they,ve found a major...relapsed lung cancer. , When caught early, lung...ot detected until the disease is well advanced. Th...ission, the disease often springs back more virule...
(Date:7/3/2009)... SHANGHAI, July 3 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Sundia Med...otech R&D outsourcing company in Shanghai,Ch...pointed Senior Vice,President of Chemistry Servic...ked at Neurocrine Biosciences, a drug,discovery a...ars, from a staff,scientist to Senior Director of...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Rare sheep could be key to better diagnostic tests in developing world, says Stanford study 2Health News:Rare sheep could be key to better diagnostic tests in developing world, says Stanford study 3Health News:Cell Pathway May Be Key to Lung Cancer's Spread 2Health News:Cell Pathway May Be Key to Lung Cancer's Spread 3Health News:Sundia MediTech Appoints Dr. Chen Chen as Senior VP of Chemistry 2
...e who exercise regularly and have a certain gene v... their movements than the people who lack the gene...f Wake Forest University School of Medicine was pu...sue of JAMA. Mobility limitation (i.e., difficult...
...clinicians lack guidelines for treating the elderl...n and the increasing prevalence of chronic disease...on of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs Clinical ...ical evidence // and expert consensus to help deci...
... are low birth weight (less than 2.4kg or 5.5lbs) ...erely disabling condition// as a result of being ...y a marker for good health in infancy and later li...re missing the critical first few weeks of gestati...
...veloping the most common types of skin cancer. Thi...cost and suffering //caused by the disease The can...t light from the sun, usually develop in older peo...The study was conducted on basal and squamous cell...
Other Medicine News:Health News:Gene Variation Associated With Better Mobility For Older Individuals 2Health News:Physicians Lack Clinical Guidelines For Treating Elderly With Multiple Illnesses 2Health News:Vitamins Found To Influence Birth Weight 2
(Date:6/30/2009)...GO, June 30 Accumetrics, Inc. anno...patients) in the enrollment of its landmark clinic...h A V erifyNow(R) Assay I mpact on T hrombosis ...ed to demonstrate the value of providing clinician... poor responders to clopidogrel (Plavix(R)). The ...
(Date:6/29/2009)...tive Study Seeks to Assess RSV Burden in Outpatien...ommitment to Pediatric Research , , GAITHERSB...ues to advance its commitment to pediatric researc...onal prospective study designed to assess the burd...erm infants 32-to-35 weeks gestational age (GA) in...
(Date:6/29/2009)...THAMPTON, England, June 29 Vantia ...developing novel, small molecule drugs,targeting ...tive results from,a Phase IIa clinical trial of i...a. The trial showed that oral VA106483 was success...-diuretic effect in patients, as determined by,in...
(Date:6/26/2009)...LD, Ill., June 26, and OSAKA, Japan, June 27, 2009...ited ("Takeda") today announced that Takeda Global... owned United States (U.S.) subsidiary received on...om the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reg...r alogliptin, a selective dipeptidyl peptidase IV ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Accumetrics, Inc. Announces GRAVITAS Trial 50 Percent Enrolled 2MedImmune Funds Study to Help Gain Insights Into Full Burden of RSV Disease Among Premature Infants 2Vantia Therapeutics' Lead Candidate VA106483 Demonstrates Positive Anti-diuretic Effect in Phase IIa Trial in Nocturia 2Vantia Therapeutics' Lead Candidate VA106483 Demonstrates Positive Anti-diuretic Effect in Phase IIa Trial in Nocturia 3Takeda Receives FDA Complete Response Letter for Alogliptin, an Investigational Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes 2Bone marrow cell transplants help nerve regeneration 7545 1Bone marrow cell transplants help nerve regeneration 7545 2TONIC Announces Every T Counts Project 7542 1TONIC Announces Every T Counts Project 7542 2TONIC Announces Every T Counts Project 7542 3Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Completes Sale of Nabi Biologics to Biotest AG 7538 1Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Completes Sale of Nabi Biologics to Biotest AG 7538 2Nabi Biopharmaceuticals Completes Sale of Nabi Biologics to Biotest AG 7538 3Renaissance Health Publishing LLC Asks Key Credibility Questions of ConsumerLab com 7534 1Renaissance Health Publishing LLC Asks Key Credibility Questions of ConsumerLab com 7534 2
This instrument can be used as a spoon forceps in gynecologic surgery.
The Optima III 45 cm line of laparoscopic hand instruments is ideal for operative laparoscopic/endoscopic procedures or when a longer instrument is needed.
The Snap-In Snap-Out-II Tip Inserts offer a large variety of configurations.
The Optima III line of laparoscopic hand instruments provides a well-crafted set of instruments designed for strength and durability.
Medicine Products: