Converting Personal Tragedy into Healthcare Safety for All with Armando Nahum

Lit Health

Joining Tracy for today’s episode is the truly remarkable Armando Nahum, a former patient advocate who has transitioned into an tremendously influential healthcare activist. Armando's inspirational story and educational presentations born out of his own family’s tragedy have left a profound mark on hospital administrations and frontline caregivers across the nation. Among his many achievements, he has become widely celebrated as the co-founder and president of Safe Care Campaign, an organization dedicated to infection prevention in hospital settings. He also holds key positions on various healthcare advisory boards and councils, including the CDC Council on Infection Prevention and the Georgia Hospital Association Advisory Board. In addition to being instrumental in establishing Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs) aimed at enhancing quality and safety at hospitals across the country, Armando, in a highly significant achievement, was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in February 2020. Most recently, he is a founding member of Patients for Patient Safety US in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), where he is leading influential healthcare policy change driven by patients and families.

In today's episode, Armando shares the patient advocacy journey that he and his wife, Victoria, embarked upon back in 2006 following a series of infections that impacted their family across three different hospitals in three states, and which tragically resulted in the loss of their son, Josh. He also shares sage insights, emphasizing the pivotal role of patient and family engagement in healthcare. The conversation delves deep into Armando's personal experiences and explores broader themes of patient advocacy, PFACs, and the critical importance of transparency within healthcare. Vitally important topics covered in this enlightening discussion also include the necessity of cultivating a culture of safety and the unification of patient experience and safety. Armando's remarkable journey from personal tragedy to impactful advocacy serves as a powerful reminder of the need for change and improvement in healthcare. Through education, transparency, and the establishment of a culture of safety, he advocates for the construction of a healthcare system characterized by integrity and compassion. Armando's legacy is a resounding call to revolutionize healthcare for the betterment of all individuals involved.

Highlights:

• Armando's journey
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• The power of patient advocacy
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• Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs)
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• The need for full transparency in healthcare
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• Culture of safety
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• Patient experience and safety
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• Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US)

Quotes:

"You need to be aware that healthcare events can happen to anyone. It's not just a select few."

"In healthcare, we tend to spend more time on ‘after the fact’ than ‘before the fact’. We should spend more time before."

"The patient experience has to encompass quality and safety. The minute you separate them, that's when trouble starts."

"People need transparency in healthcare. There's no reason for institutions to hide behind their attorneys."

“If you have a PFAC, you're not using it correctly unless they go out in the community and start educating. To me, education is at the forefront.”

Links:

LitHealth Homepage

Patients for Patient Safety US