My Mom’s Legacy

Our MissionPrevent medical errors by ensuring that patients and families have the KNOWLEDGE they need to promote

a safe hospital experience for their loved ones, and to support innovative advancements in patient

safety. Our greatest hope is that families, patients, and caregivers will work together as a TEAM to

improve safety in our hospitals.

The Problem: My Mom’s Case

1. Lack of Teamwork- Mom had a great doctor, great nurse, and a great family. But, great players don’t make a great TEAM. 2. Lack of Knowledge- The family and the patient didn’t have the tools they needed to become informed, active members of the team. We asked tons of questions - we just didn’t get LUCKY and ask the right one. 3. Lack of Technology- My mom was only hooked up to the PCA therapy machine. She had no Oxygen or Heart monitors at all. The hospital standard of care was to come check on her every four hours.

Why Should I Be Worried?

Imagine a jumbo jet crashing every day in our country with NO

survivors. That is how many people die every

day from preventable medical errors in the United States.

Why Should I Be Worried?

• Over 400,000 ADE’s occur annually at a cost of $8,750 per occurrence, totaling over $3.5 billion dollars annually. (IOM, July 2006)

• Each year more people die from preventable medical errors in hospitals than motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, and AIDs. (IOM “To Err is Human” 1999)

Why Should I Be Worried?

• Hospitalized patient subjected to one medication error per patient day. (Archives of Internal Medicine, September, 2002)

• Medication mistakes injure more than 1.5

million people each year. (IOM, July 2006)

Why Should I Be Worried?

• Administration errors account for 38% of errors, and only 2% of these errors are intercepted. (Leap, et al, 1995)

• 61% of the most serious and life-threatening potential adverse drug events (ADEs) are (intravenous) IV drug-related. (D.W. Bates, 2001)

Why Should I Be Worried?

• Data reported to JCAHO between 1995 and 2003 indicate that 21% of 276 medication-error-related sentinel events involved in administration of opiods; almost all of these (98%) resulted in death. (Pain Manag Nurs 2004;5 (2):53-8)

OUR AREAS OF FOCUS

Areas of Focus:Education

• Create and distribute literature in hospitals, doctor’s offices, online and throughout the community.

The Batz Guide for Bedside Advocacy

“Teaming Up for the Patient”The guide is developed and validated by a panel of 14 leading physicians and nurses with over 40 collaborators from across the U.S. It consists of over 70 pages of tips work sheets, and tools to help patients and families involved in their own care inside hospitals by encouraging them to ask potentially life-saving questions in a language that they and their medical teams can all understand.

Strong Medical and Community Partnerships

• Support a multidisciplinary team of medical doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, pharmacists, and community representatives to develop and implement new and proven safety measures and technology that will improve patient safety.

Areas of Focus:Onl ine Resources and Community Outreach

• Create resources to help patients and families answer questions before you go into the hospital, while you are in the hospital, and after you go home from the hospital.

Get Involved!• Help solve the problem – increased

monitoring, improved technology, and more education

• Encourage people to share their story!• The Batz Guide: use it, distribute it and

provide feedback • Volunteer• Follow us!

The Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation

Our mission is to prevent medical errors by ensuring that patients and families have the KNOWLEDGE they

need to promote a safe hospital experience for their loved ones, and to support innovative advancements in patient safety. Our greatest hope is that families, patients, and caregivers

will work together as a TEAM to improve safety in our hospitals.

www.louisebatz.org