I am struck by the fact that at a conference of 200 people, 2 young women, who were otherwise healthy, both had fought C. diff. It makes me wonder how many others are out there – undiagnosed, misdiagnosed and suffering, possibly dying because of old stereotypes and the dearth of knowledge among the public.
Friday morning I had the privilege of presenting the 3rd Annual Peggy Lillis School Spirit Awards to four awesome kids during the PS 198 Kindergarten Graduation. Despite the 100 degree heat in the auditorium, the parents and students were very excited to celebrate and I was delighted to be on …
Despite the common wisdom of most doctors and patients that clostridium difficile is primarily a threat to elderly, hospitalized people, recent studies indicate that not only are cases of “community-onset” C. diff growing but they are more likely to result in surgery and other serious complications.
Since the CDC released its latest and, at 14,000 the highest, annual estimate of the number of people killed by clostridium difficile infections, numbers have been on my mind a lot. In future posts I will address in more depth why I doubt the accuracy of even this extraordinary number …
I recently read a piece that Martha wrote for Patient Safety Insight, the magazine of American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety, “Connecting the Dots: From Family Advocacy to Patient Safety in the Hospital”. I like the article for a number of reasons. First, Martha shares the uncertainty that many of us feel in doing this work. As anyone who has visited a hospital knows, the American healthcare system is incredibly complex, and many of us who come to work in patient advocacy do not have formal training. Second, Martha shares the fear and confusion anyone might feel in trying to advocate for their family member. Finally, Martha shares her hard-earned wisdom on how to be an effective advocate for your loved one.
