Synopsis:

In today' s healthcare system, you must protect yourself. If you believe that those struggling with illness do not have to share the responsibility for receiving safe medical care, think again. The American healthcare system demands your critical review and vigilance at every step, especially as a patient. Every facet of the system exposes a patient to infection, medical error, and misdiagnosis. The Empowered Patient focuses on current healthcare safety issues and provides you with easy-to-follow "action steps" to keep you safe and protected. You'll know where the risks are, what to look for when assessing quality and safety, and what to ask for - and how to say it - with confidence and authority.

Book Excerpt:

chapter one

Before you can become strong and capable, you must first understand the ways in which you are vulnerable. You must identify the problem areas that you are likely to encounter so that you can formulate effective strategies in advance. You have to be alerted to the areas of risk and then acquire the specific skills you need to reduce the odds of being harmed in the course of your medical care. The salient message of this book is that those who are knowledgeable about a subject are better able to assess information being presented to them by professionals, they are prepared to recognize potential hazards before they show up on the front doorstep, and they are primed to take decisive steps once they have identified any problems. In addition, consumers who possess a higher level of understanding about the medical system and how it works will also have higher expectations about the quality of care they are entitled to and the level of safety they should demand. If the patients of today were armed with the right information, they could unite as the largest, most cost-effective and most powerful grass roots lobbying group in history. Medical patients already possess strength in numbers. They just haven't put their extraordinary power to the test.

The statistics reflecting the somber and startling reality of just how high-risk an endeavor it is to enter a hospital can be overwhelming. it can make anyone feel helpless. The reality, however, is that you can have a powerful, even life-saving influence on your healing process or on that of a loved one. My husband and I struggled to find our way through the complex medical maze, and when the system failed us, we had to find our own solutions. It is my fervent hope that you can learn from our solutions. The information presented in this book came at a high price physically, economically and emotionally. But now I possess the knowledge and the responsibility to help other patients reduce their chances of injury, cut down on the risk of errors, understand the danger of miscommunications and lessen the instances of personal frustration and anger. I want this journey to be far easier for those coming up behind us.

The Empowered Patient will arm readers with the knowledge they need to claim a voice in and authority over their health care.The public will finally be able to view their relationships with healthcare providers as partnerships and to see themselves for the first time as researchers, investigators and decision-makers. The adage, "If you're not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem" applies here. In short, empowered patients are those who are both informed and willing to accept the responsibility of self-directed medical care.

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Topics/Categories:

Medical Error Reduction, Patient Empowerment, Patient Safety

Genre:

General Health, Health, Illness, Medicine, Self-Help

Type of Work:

Book

Publishers:

Bold Spirit Press

Purchase From:

The Empowered Patient
Amazon.com

Original Publish Date:

2008-01-20

ISBNs:

978-0-6151-7791-5

Formats:

Paperback