I didn’t write the title to today’s post but I certainly agree with it. The title to today’s post comes from The People’s Pharmacy and was written by Joe and Teresa Graedon. The article was re-published by my local paper, The Roanoke Times, and presents some pretty sobering statistics:
1. Medical error is the third-leading cause of death in the United States.
2. A minimum of 251,454 Americans die each year due to medical negligence.
3. 27% of Medicare beneficiaries are harmed each year due to medical neglect occurring in the hospital setting.
My Advice: Never, and I mean never, leave your loved one alone for long periods of time while hospitalized. Always know what the treatment plan is and know what medications have been ordered and why, and know the dosages for each medication. Demand (respectfully) to meet with the attending doctor and ask questions about the plan of treatment and target date for discharge.
If you do all of these things you might prevent your family member from becoming one of the statistics above.