Media
Radio Interview - Glenn Mertz interviews Pat Rullo
Hospice of the Western Reserve Interview with CEO, Bill Finn Video
Speak Up and Stay Alive News Release
THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS FRAGMENTED—MANY PATIENTS ARE COMPROMISED
Patricia J. Rullo, author of the book says, “Every year nearly two million hospital-acquired infections claim roughly 100,000 lives. One in every twenty patients suffers from an adverse drug reaction. If you find yourself faced with a hospital visit, you must be prepared to be your own advocate and try to have an advocate with you at all times.”
In 2008, the author’s 78-year-old mother took an accidental fall that resulted in a crushed shoulder. During the shoulder repair operation, a severe heart attack ensued and went unrecognized by the entire hospital staff for nearly nine hours. This resulted in four months of intensive care, the use of every means of life support, and a lengthy stay at a rehabilitation center where the substandard quality of care nearly ended her life. Throughout this nightmare, Patricia was an advocate—watching, listening, learning, and speaking up on behalf of her mother. This experience unveiled the shocking truth about hospital care today. The book shares three and a half years of research and offers vital ways to spare innocent patients from the perils that threaten their lives.
Women, seniors, veterans, and children have special needs when it comes to hospital safety and the book features chapters specific to these groups. Seventeen health care hazards are covered in detail with real-time ways to avoid them. Touted as “a must read” by CaretakersUSA.org, the book “Speak Up and Stay Alive” gives its readers the tools they need to become intelligent and safe health care consumers.
Patricia educates groups, clubs, organizations, and businesses about the hazards of hospital stays, how to survive them, the importance of having a health care advocate and she helps build ready-to-take-action support affiliates within existing groups.
For more information, to buy the book, or to schedule the author to speak to your organization, please contact Carmen Sirett: carmen@millenniumstarpublishing.com or visit the website: www.speakupandstayalive.com
Speak Up and Stay Alive Book FAQ’s, Headings and Interview Questions
How to Survive a Hospital Stay
What
is the book about?
This book is not about pointing a finger at doctors, nurses, hospitals, or the health care industry. Although hospital safety statistics are alarming, hospitals do more to help than they do to harm. The majority of doctors and nurses are amazingly dedicated people who surrender their lives to do exhausting work to help others in need. Most patients leave the hospital with their problems solved, ready to take on the world as functioning individuals.
However, the health care system is also fragmented, and many patients are compromised. Your unawareness of hospital hazards may be riskier than the hazards themselves. To solve a problem, you need to know that it exists and understand how and why it happens in the first place. The book explains each hospital hazard and offers solutions that everyone can understand and accomplish. It also proves the need for an advocate—a non-biased person to stay by your side to watch for known hospital risks, help implement the solutions, and ultimately guide you safely back home.
Why
did you write the book?
Speak Up and Stay Alive is a hospital survival guide, the result of years of research and my own frightening hospital experiences. My mom, who was 78-years-old, suffered a severe heart attack that went unrecognized by an entire hospital recovery unit for nine hours. This resulted in four months of intensive care, the use of every means of life support, and a lengthy stay at a rehabilitation center where the substandard quality of care nearly ended her life. Throughout this nightmare, I was her advocate—watching, listening, learning, and speaking up on her behalf. This experience unveiled the shocking truth about hospital care today. I wrote the book in an effort to spare innocent patients from the perils that threaten their lives.
I hope this book changes the reader’s frame of reference and gives everyone permission to insist on having someone intelligent advocate and navigate for them. Do not be afraid to know your rights, to stand up for them, and to take action.
What
do you hope to accomplish with the book?
This book is only a vehicle to
share information. It cannot take action by itself. The reader has the power to
alter the path of hospital safety. I encourage the readers and seminar
participants to integrate their new knowledge within their circle of influence.
If each of us helps one other person survive a hospital stay, then this book is
doing its job.
Why
is this information important?
Medical errors are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, making the hospital a dangerous place to be. Every year, nearly 2 million hospital-acquired infections claim roughly 100,000 lives. People need to understand why these things happen and realize they have the ability to stay safe. Awareness is the answer.
Who
will benefit?
A visit to a hospital is almost inevitable. At some point you may be the patient, or you may tend to a loved one who requires a hospital stay. A hospital patient, regardless of age or gender, is subject to at least one medication error per day. Women are the most common victims of misdiagnosed heart attacks. Seniors have an especially high hospital re-admission rate due to fragmented discharge procedures. Children have special risks because of their inability to advocate for themselves and veterans and their caretakers are in an especially vulnerable position. There are chapters in the book that speak directly to these groups regarding their unique hospital challenges.
Other
than the book, are there any other tools you offer your readers and audience to
help them stay safe during a hospital stay?
Yes. I travel from state to state—speaking to groups, organizations, and companies—to create awareness and help build informed and empowered hospital safety support groups within those groups. In addition to the book and personal presentations, a comprehensive set of safety logs serve as a supplement. The logs help you track and monitor everything from doctor and nurse visits, medications, questions and concerns, vital signs, and contact information. It also includes a hand washing reminder sign, a list of common hospital terminology, and much more. These safety logs are real-time tools to help you stay organized and safe during a hospital stay.
What
immediately useful tips can you share?
Nearly one in twenty patients is affected by a hospital-acquired infection that could easily be avoided by simple and basic hand hygiene. Dangerous germs spread both directly and indirectly. Because doctors and nurses travel from patient to patient, the staff is usually responsible for direct contamination. Your doctors and nurses interact with you hundreds of times each day. They examine you, administer drugs, adjust your bed, or bathe you. If they do not wash their hands each time they enter your room, they physically transfer infectious microorganisms all over you and your room. Contaminated lab coats and neckties also contribute to hospital- acquired infections. Studies prove that at least half of all hospital infections are preventable if caregivers cleaned their hands immediately before touching patients.
What can you do? Hand-washing and surface sanitation go a long way to prevent many hospital-acquired infections. It is easy to do—it does not cost anything, and could very well save your life. Make infection control your goal. Speak up if others do not share your enthusiasm for this simple infection remedy. Remember, you are not in the hospital to make friends with the hospital staff. Your goal is to get out alive. Ask everyone who comes into your room to wash their hands. You can also place a sign or poster above your bed that says, “Please wash your hands before touching me.” If you are unable to speak or if you are asleep, your advocate can simply point to the sign when a health care provider enters the room.
Sanitizing the surfaces in your hospital room is a simple way to break the infection cycle. Germs can survive on surfaces for extended periods. Frequently touched surfaces or disease transfer points include bed rails, call buttons, television remotes, over-the-bed trays, chairs, telephones, door handles, light switches, intravenous poles, soap and towel dispensers, sinks, toilets, grab bars, counters, and tabletops. These surfaces are known to be contaminated with staphylococcus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)—some of the most potent strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria—and other pathogens. Objects used most often and are closest to your bed have the highest levels of bacteria. These surfaces are prime ways you, the hospital staff, and your visitors can spread bacteria.
Either you or your advocate must wipe everything in the room with disinfectant. Wear gloves when you clean to avoid contaminating your hands. Use one wipe for each surface to prevent cross-contamination from surface to surface and discard after use.
The opportunity to acquire an infection in the hospital is huge. Germs and bacteria are everywhere. They float in the air, live on your clothes and hands, and reside on everything in sight. The consequences of a hospital-acquired infection are grave, yet prevention is simple. Be a germaphobe. Be a clean freak.
Patricia J. Rullo (Pat) is a
nationally known speaker and coach in the insurance and banking industry and has
served on the advisory boards of New York Life Insurance Company and
Transamerica Life Insurance Company. She is recognized through Consulting
Psychologists Press as a certified administrator and interpreter of the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, an assessment instrument that provides in-depth
insights into personality type and behavior. She is the author of many business
magazine articles and the books - Worksite Marketing—A Promise to Deliver,
Succeed with Style and When Daddy Plays Golf. Pat and her mom founded the
charity Sewport Our Troops and the charitable fundraising company, A Case for a
Cause. Pat also makes time for daily contemplation in her pink kayak at her
summer home on the
For resume of other activities - please visit - http://www.millenniumbenefitsgroup.com/media.htm
Speak
Up and Stay Alive Publisher
and Purchasing Information
Speak Up and Stay Alive—published by Millennium Star Publishing
Available through the publishing company or directly through the book’s website
- or -
http://www.speakupandstayalive.com
Speak Up and Stay Alive Excerpt
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