About Me:

I'm a former TV news and medical reporter who began patient advocacy following the loss of my father to a hospital-acquired infection. I worked to pass two state laws improving patient safety and am working with other advocates to effect change on a national level. Meeting with these remarkable survivors of adverse medical events has shown me how much healing needs to be done...and I believe the only way to get there is to affirm the joys of life that help us want to continue. I created this blog as a safe place to "light a candle" and reject the darkness that can drag us down, keeping us stuck in a grim and hopeless place. This blog is for sharing the uplifting things you learn see, or strive for, that help you and might help others get to a better place. "It costs a candle nothing to light another."

http://www.patmastors.blogspot.com/

Preventing Hospital-Acquired Infections involves good hygiene. The hospitalized patient or his advocate can help by ensuring that anyone who touches the patient has washed and sanitized his hands. That includes medical personnel, dinner tray delivery people, visitors, and even family members. (Having family and the people who love us present in our hospital rooms is an important part of the healing process. But people bring in germs from the outside, on their clothes, purses, hands and shoes – germs that might not hurt a healthy person, but are dangerous to the hospital patient, whose health is more fragile).

What’s a Patient Pod™? It’s a uniquely designed “bedside amenity system” – so the things you need most while you’re laid up in your hospital bed will be right at your fingertips. Good hospitals work hard to improve patient outcomes, and are always looking for ways to improve the quality of care. Patients want to get healthy as quickly as possible. The Patient Pod™ bridges the respective roles of caregivers and patients in simple, holistic and cost-effective ways.

Pat Mastors, CEO, is a patient safety advocate and former medical reporter, who worked closely with patients, caregivers and infection control experts to create The Patient Pod™. The idea traces back to when Pat spent many months at her father’s bedside, seeing him through major surgery and the unfortunate complications and infections that followed. During that time, Pat saw many simple ways patients and their advocates could benefit from enhanced communication and information, more consistently practiced hand hygiene and greater comfort right at the bedside, allowing patients and families an active role with their care team.

http://www.thepatientpod.com/

http://www.cdiffsupport.com/