MMI's Heathcare-Associated Infection Guide
Consumer/Patient Checklists
Each year in the United States, 1.7 million infections are acquired in the hospital, leading to 100,000 deaths.
“If you were admitted to the hospital tomorrow in any country, your chances of being subjected to an error in your care would be about 1 in 10. Your chances of dying due to an error in health care would be 1 in 300.”
Empower yourself with knowledge before you are a patient so you will never have to say...
IF ONLY I KNEW
"I wish I had known what to do to save my father."
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This is how Kerry lived for 18 months after his methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.
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“I’ll never forget Thanksgiving 2004, because it was the last Thanksgiving we shared with my mother, Barbara. She died the next day from a
healthcare-associated infection."
Contact between the healthcare worker and the patient results in cross-transmission of micro-organisms. In this case, Gram-positive cocci from the patient’s own flora transfer to healthcare worker’s hands.
Doctor’s hands showing germ areas (black dots). (WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Healthcare.)
Same doctor’s hands showing how bacterial contamination increases with time during patient contact.
For years, Airlines have had checklists. A plane cannot take off unless the captain reviews a checklist.
Several years ago checklists were introduced in the US. Many hospitals use them every day in the OR before a surgery to be sure you are the right patient. These also include your X-rays, blood products and some has even checked your lab results. Most importantly, the team must agree on an alternative plan or procedure if something goes wrong. Studies have show that using a checklist has saved many patients from medical errors.
Now you can have a simple checklist with you at all times to remind you or your advocate about the questions you must ask your doctor to help prevent healthcare-associated infections.
This companion to the book is simple, easy to read, and understand. You can also carry the reminder card with you at all times.
No more computer searching for facts or clarifications. You will have the knowledge to be empowered from these checklists. They will help you and your care team provide you with the best outcomes and avoid medical errors/infections.
Dr. Maryanne McGuckin, FSHEA is an internationally renowned advocate for health-care quality, hospital safety, and patient advocacy. She is the author and developer of Partners In Your Care, an empowerment method that improves healthcare quality by helping patients avoid healthcare-associated infections. She has served on task forces for CDC and WHO and has over 100 peer-reviewed abstracts, journal articles, and scientific conference lectureships and sabbaticals at Oxford and Leuven.
Prior to becoming Founder and President of McGuckin Methods International, Dr. McGuckin spent 35 years as a staff and faculty member of The University of Penn-sylvania. She is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania.
