At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, Dr. Judy Stone, a Boothbay Harbor summer resident, an infectious disease specialist, author of the book, “Conducting Clinical Research,” and a contributor to Forbes.com, will discuss how to avoid infections and complications from hospitalizations.

This forum is sponsored by the Boothbay Region Health & Wellness Foundation, of which Stone is a board member. Stone’s talk will be held at the Boothbay Fire House, and will be preceded by a potluck dinner, starting at 5:30 p.m. Bring a dish to share, or just come and enjoy our hospitality.

In describing why she feels it’s important for everyone to know how to navigate a hospitalization safely, Stone explained: “Surviving a hospital stay is no mean feat, especially given staffing cuts and changes in practice patterns over recent years. One in seven Medicare patients in hospitals experiences a medical error. Almost half of the errors were preventable. Estimates are that up to 440,000 people die each year after suffering a medical error in the hospital, making this the third leading cause of death, just behind heart disease and cancer. Hospital-acquired infections sicken an additional 1 in 25 patients.”

Last spring, Stone spent a week in Iowa helping her 90-year old aunt navigate the system. Even as a physician, acting as a patient advocate for her own relative, she ran into problems. “Even in a ‘good’ hospital with good staff, we encountered significant problems, though they paled in comparison to the bad care my mom got in 2008 in three metropolitan D.C. hospitals. I honestly don’t know how someone without a knowledgeable and assertive advocate survives, so I put together these tips, based on years of experience both as a physician and caregiver.”

Here are some of the tips that Stone shared in a post published on April 21 on Forbes.com:

1. Know your medicines and allergies. Ask what medications you are getting and what they are for.
2. Keep a list of your medical problems.
3. Question authority. Question what is being done and why. Does it make sense to you? If not, get more information. Give your relative or advocate permission to see your medical records and labs.
4. Know that you have the right to refuse tests or medications.
5. Insist that health care workers use hand sanitizer or wash their hands before touching you.
6. Get IVs and tubes or catheters out as soon as possible. Ask your doctor if you still need them.
7. Keep notes.
8. If you feel at all unsteady, ask for help getting to the bathroom, especially at night. Falls kill.
9. If you are concerned about your care, speak with the unit manager, hospital ombudsman, or Risk Management.
10. Try to get a discharge plan you feel safe with. Hospitals will try to rush you out.

Dr. Stone will conduct a question and answer period at the end of her talk. Don’t miss this important opportunity to become better prepared. You (or someone in your family) may need hospitalization in the next year or two. The better prepared you are, the healthier you’ll remain!