Practical Life-Saving Advice On Avoiding Hospital Mistakes From A Registered Nurse Of 27 Years

Thomas A. Sharon can speak with authority on the subject... Sharon does not oversell his case. He offers practical examples and valuable insights on the things that can go wrong in the ER, on a ward, in the ICU or with the business office. His system for rating hospitals, for example, urges consumers to take into account things like fiscal stability, labor relations and the smell of the place..." Gregory Mott, Washington Post, October 21, 2003

(PRWEB) January 6, 2004 --For the past eighteen years, Thomas A. Sharon, R.N., M.P.H., a registered nurse of 27 years with a master in public health (MPH) degree, has been advising attorneys on hundreds of cases in which hospitals and nursing homes were accused of preventable errors. He has recently authored a book entitled Protect Yourself in the Hospital: Insider Tips for Avoiding Hospital Mistakes for Yourself or Someone You Love (Contemporary Books/McGraw-Hill; Oct/Nov. 2003; $12.95), which provides life-saving information.

According to the Harvard University Study of 1999 and other notable reports, almost 100,000 people die in hospitals each year from preventable, accidents, oversights, blunders or abuse. Many more suffer catastrophic injuries such as irreversible brain damage, amputation and paralysis.

According to Sharon, the most common negligent acts of commission or omission are neglect, failure to provide professional assessments, failure to follow established protocols and policies, incompetently performed procedures, failure to intervene with protective and preventive measures, careless blunders, medication errors, and criminal assaults. The consequences of such acts or failures are traumatic injury, bedsores, choking, nerve damage, infection, narcotic overdose, brain damage respiratory failure, or cardiac arrest. The fact that these mishaps occur in every hospital from coast to coast with alarming regularity is little known and disturbing.

The solution to the health care/malpractice debacle lies in educating the consumer. Since most hospital mistakes are preventable, the patients and their family members can learn how to recognize the most dangerous conditions and situations before death or injury occurs.

In PROTECT YOURSELF IN THE HOSPITAL, the author provides insights, tips and lifesaving advice to guide you safely through the perils of the ER, OR, ICU, maternity ward and every other type of care available in the modern hospital, from the simplest to the most complex procedures. Without causing fear, Sharon educates and empowers his readers with easy to understand practical methods for evaluating safety, taking reasonable precautions and setting up safeguards.

Written by a health care insider, PROTECT YOURSELF IN THE HOSPITAL is indispensable as a survival guide for patient safety that will help readers avoid the most common causes of death and injury in any hospital. Sharon helps readers discover the obvious defects in each area of the hospital and how to recognize them, which includes finding out if the hospital is equipped and prepared to treat victims of biological, chemical and nuclear attack. Additionally, knowing the right questions to ask and who to get answers from will cause the hospital management and staff to become more responsive to the patient's needs. Sharon offers his readers a unique understanding of the workings of hospital bureaucracies with clear suggestions on how to advocate for oneself or a loved one without alienating the hospital staff.

Author Bio:

Thomas A. Sharon, R.N., M. P. H. (Hollywood, FL) became a registered nurse in 1977 and earned his masters in public health degree from New York Medical College in 1988. He has had vast experience in a variety of hospitals as a staff nurse, nursing supervisor and operational consultant He has also worked for a managed care organization as vice president for medical operations. For the past 18 years he has also been a legal consultant, advising attorneys on hundreds of cases in which hospitals have been accused of preventable errors.

A review copy is available upon request. Please contact Lizz Aviles at McGraw Hill:
phone: 212-904-6006
email: lizz_aviles@mcgraw-hill.com

The author will be available for interviews by telephone, email or in person. Please feel free to contact Mr. Sharon directly for scheduling.
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Thomas A. Sharon, R.N., M.P.H.
Hollywood, Florida
Phone: 954-967-6764
Fax: 954-894-9562
Email: nursetom@msn.com