Mother of Child Cancer Victim Rallies Patient and Families to Guard Against Hidden Dangers in Today's Hos...( Empowering t...),Health

Empowering the public to be informed and engaged medical consumers is a long standing goal of health care leaders and organizations. "The Empowered Patient" is a new consumer guide containing hundreds of facts, action steps and strategies for the average person to utilize in their quest for medical care that is safe and effective. Dr. Julia Hallisy spent over a decade immersed in our health care system as her late daughter, Katherine, fought a battle with cancer. The combination of being a practicing health care professional and encountering dozens of adverse events in hospitals led her to commit herself to improving patient safety by educating and inspiring the public to take a proactive role.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) August 24, 2008 -- Julia Hallisy knows all too well what can go wrong when you or someone you love is in a hospital. While her daughter Kate battled cancer for ten years, she experienced just about every problem that can be encountered. Before Kate died at age 10, Hallisy made a vow: to sound a rallying cry for patients and families to become active agents in preventing dangerous hospital errors and ensuring the health care they deserve.

Hallisy's new book, "The Empowered Patient", provides hundreds of concrete action steps that anyone can follow in acting as their own advocate or standing up for a vulnerable family member in today's hectic, potentially perilous hospital environment.

"There are hidden dangers in our medical delivery system, and few of us are immune from them," notes Hallisy. She points out that nearly 100,000 deaths each year are due to medical error and preventable infections, prompting the Institute for Health Care Improvement to launch a campaign to reduce medical errors by five million over two years. The CDC reports that 1.7 million Americans will suffer from a hospital-acquired infection. And half of all patients e
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