Patient Stories and Patient Safety | Blogs

I am a C. diff survivor. What I know now and what I want others to know.

“This must be cancer.” That’s what I thought when I was hospitalized for a second time in two months. One month prior, I was hospitalized with diverticulitis, which was treated with strong intravenous antibiotics. Then I found myself back in the hospital. This time, it was worse than diverticulitis. I had never been so sick Read More >

November 4, 2024 by Maryann Webb19 Comments

Patient Stories and Patient Safety

C. diff, C. difficile

A failing health care system caused my husband’s death

Vonda Vaden Bates and her late husband Yogiraj Charles Bates.

This opinion article was originally published in STAT: A failing health care system caused my husband’s death. His care team was incredibly kind, but they lacked the resources to save his life. On Tuesday, September 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Agency for Healthcare Read More >

October 7, 2024 by Guest Author Vonda Vaden Bates, a patient safety advocate.6 Comments

Blood, Organ, and Tissue Safety, Patient Stories and Patient Safety

patient stories and patient safety

Effective diagnostic processes and patient safety means not having to ask “What if”

“What If” I was seen, heard, and treated like a partner? Regarded as the greatest English novelist during the Victorian Era, Charles Dickens once said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” Those words never rang truer than Read More >

September 18, 2024 by Col. Steven L. Coffee2 Comments

Patient Stories and Patient Safety

patient safety, patient stories and patient safety

Keeping Your Hands Clean and Healthy

Truth: Alcohol-based is more effective and less drying than soap and water.

As a healthcare worker, clean hands count. Clean hands prevent the spread of illness in healthcare facilities. Unfortunately, the frequent handwashing and sanitizing needed to achieve this all too often results in painful, cracking, or broken skin on the hands. This raises an important question: what can we do to ensure our hands are clean Read More >

May 6, 2024 by Aída Lugo-Somolinos MD, Brandon L. Adler, MD and Jennifer K. Chen, MD

Patient Stories and Patient Safety

Clean hands count, Hand Hygiene, Infection Control and Prevention

Denise Cardo, MD, retires after 30 years dedicated to patient safety

As part of Public Health Thank You Day, celebrated every year on the Monday before Thanksgiving, we’d like to honor Denise Cardo, MD, who recently retired from public service after 30 years dedicated to patient safety. Denise leaves a legacy of protecting the United States and the globe from some of our most challenging and Read More >

November 20, 2023 by Katy Capers, MA, & Kendra Driver, PhD3 Comments

Patient Stories and Patient Safety

patient stories and patient safety

Category: Patient Stories and Patient Safety

I am a C. diff survivor. What I know now and what I want others to know.

A failing health care system caused my husband’s death

Effective diagnostic processes and patient safety means not having to ask “What if”

Keeping Your Hands Clean and Healthy

Denise Cardo, MD, retires after 30 years dedicated to patient safety