Dear friends,
I just had a fascinating conversation with Dr. Julie Siemers, author of "Surviving Your Hospital Stay", that honestly left me shaken.
Julie's been a nurse for 45 years, and what she shared about hospital safety isn't just concerning – it's terrifying. Did you know medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America? I didn't, at least not until recently.
The stories she told me were eye-opening. Imagine going through surgery, everything seems fine, but weeks later you're back with an infection. They look inside and find surgical tools that were supposedly "counted correctly" at the end of your procedure. This happens far more often than anyone wants to admit.
This hits close to home for me. My wife Jolee recently went through breast cancer treatment at Stanford. While we received excellent care, I couldn't help thinking about Julie's warnings as we navigated the medical system. What if I hadn't been there to ask questions?
Here's what struck me most: we can't blindly trust the system to keep us safe. That doesn't mean healthcare professionals aren't trying their best – most absolutely are. But systems fail, people make mistakes, and communication breaks down.
Julie's advice is simple but powerful: ask questions, bring someone with you to appointments, and don't be intimidated. As she told me, "If you don't speak up, it may cost the life of your loved one."
I know that might feel uncomfortable. Most of us were raised not to question doctors. But your life – or your loved one's life – might depend on finding your voice.
Golden light,
Dr. Richard Louis Miller
Links & Resources
HospitalSafetyGrade.org - Check your hospital's safety rating
DrJulieSiemers.com - Blog and additional resources
"Surviving Your Hospital Stay" by Dr. Julie Siemers - Available on Amazon
Connect with Dr. Julie: LinkedIn | Instagram
The 5 Most Dangerous Hospital Risks (And How to Protect Yourself)
When Dr. Julie Siemers began researching patient safety for her master's degree, what she discovered shocked her: "Medical error has been declared the third leading cause of death in the literature, and this has been for several decades."
After 45 years in nursing, including a decade as a flight nurse, Siemers has compiled life-saving knowledge into her new book "Surviving Your Hospital Stay." Her message is clear: we cannot rely solely on healthcare systems to keep us safe.
1. Communication Breakdowns (Responsible for 70% of Patient Harm)
The Joint Commission has identified that 70% of patient harm comes from communication failures — between doctors, nurses, therapists, and vitally, with patients and families.
"When there is a knowledge gap, I've seen this many times with nurses — they may try to make up an answer if they don't know," Siemers explains. "There's no shame in saying 'I don't know, let me find out for you' instead of pretending."
Safety Strategy: Don't be intimidated. Ask direct questions about treatments, medications, and procedures. Record conversations with doctors (with permission) and bring someone to take notes.
2. Medication Errors
Nurses are taught the "six rights" of medication: right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, right time, and right documentation. Yet errors remain common.
Safety Strategy: "Always ask, 'What pill are you giving my mom?' Don't just accept 'It's your heart medication.' Ask which heart medication and how it works," advises Siemers. "Pretend you're like a five-year-old child that says, 'why, why, why?' The more you ask, the more you understand, the more you can help."
3. Infection Prevention Failures
Despite healthcare professionals knowing that handwashing is the most effective way to prevent infection transmission, compliance remains problematic.
Safety Strategy: "Don't let anyone touch you or the patient without washing their hands," states Siemers unequivocally. Though it takes courage, simply saying "Please don't touch my daughter until you wash your hands" could prevent a serious infection.
4. Missed Warning Signs of Patient Deterioration
"Eighty percent of cardiac arrests in the hospital are preventable," Siemers reveals. "Usually it's a cardiac arrest because the patient has become clinically unstable."
Safety Strategy: Watch for sustained increased heart rate (over 100 beats per minute), paleness, shortness of breath, or other changes. "Don't ignore your gut intuition," Siemers emphasizes. "Our creator made us to understand this energy of something needs to be done."
5. Surgical Complications and Objects Left Behind
Despite protocols requiring counting of all instruments and materials, objects are still left inside patients during surgery.
"A recent study has shown that 80% of people who go back to the hospital with an infection at the surgical site or continued pain, and they find a foreign object left in there from surgery—80% of those cases had correct instrument and sponge counts documented."
Safety Strategy: Before surgery, research your hospital's safety rating at HospitalSafetyGrade.org. Ask your surgeon specific questions about how they'll prevent complications: "How are you going to help keep me safe after surgery? How are you going to help me not get a pulmonary embolus or blood clot?"
The Most Important Strategy: Bring an Advocate
Perhaps Siemers' most crucial advice is to never face the healthcare system alone. When patients are anxious or scared, cognitive processing suffers, making self-advocacy difficult.
"When we go into the mode of fear, we may not hear what is so important to hear, or we may not communicate what we need to communicate to create the big picture of who we are as an individual and our health."
By becoming informed, asking questions, and having someone by your side, you significantly improve your chances of a safe hospital experience.
As Siemers powerfully states: "Your voice matters and it can save your loved one's life."
Now Available: Psychedelic Medicine at the End of Life
You can now order my latest book, Psychedelic Medicine at the End of Life: Dying Without Fear. This work represents a culmination of my decades-long journey as a clinical psychologist, exploring how psychedelics can transform our approach to death and dying.
The book examines how substances like LSD, MDMA, and psilocybin can be powerful tools in confronting our fears of mortality, ultimately leading to richer, more fulfilling lives. I'm honored to include insights from renowned experts in the field, as well as my own experiences.
Here's what some esteemed colleagues are saying:
James Fadiman, Ph.D., calls it "a deeply uplifting, clear, and compassionate guide to dying and how psychedelics, used correctly, diminish our fears about approaching the door that opens at the end of our life."
Charles S. Grob, M.D., describes it as "a masterful overview of an area of vital importance to our modern world... a valuable resource and contribution to the growing field of psychedelic medicine."
Julie Holland, M.D., notes that "Psychedelics may offer a mini-death rehearsal, offering a glimpse of spiritual oneness, enabling us to be less afraid at the end of our lives."
I hope this book will inspire meaningful conversations and new perspectives on how we approach the end of life.
My Books:
Psychedelic Medicine at the End of Life: Dying Without Fear (release date: November 5)
Freeing Sexuality: Psychologists, Consent Teachers, Polyamory Experts, and Sex Workers Speak Out
Psychedelic Wisdom: The Astonishing Rewards of Mind-Altering Substances
Psychedelic Medicine: The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca
Integral Psychedelic Therapy (co-edited with Jason A. Butler & Genesee Herzberg)
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