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Tiffany Christensen was
6-months old when she was

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diagnosed with cystic fibrosis,
an inherited disorder that

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causes severe lung damage. By
the time she reached age 12, she

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began a long journey of hospital
stays  “So I had to learn how to

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ask questions. I had to learn
how to gather information around

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the medications that were being
given to me, the treatments that

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were being given to me and why.
But most importantly if I had a

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concern I had to be willing to
speak up.” By the time Tiffany

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was 21, she was so sick that she
needed, and received, a

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double-lung transplant  “  which
was a wonderful gift. It was

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amazing to be able to breathe
like that. For the first time in

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my life.” Now in her 40's,
Tiffany works as a

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patient/family advocate, public
speaker and author on a mission

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to encourage people to take an
active role in their healthcare

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“Our job as activated patients
is to listen to those treatment

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options and then figure out if
they really align with our

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values and our preferences and
our goals.” “ making sure that

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you have as much information
that you want to have  That

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you're sure that you're making
the best decision for yourself

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...” “ Because at the end of the
day I have to live in this body

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and I have to decide if these
are the things that I want to

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deal with, as far as side
effects, as far as long term

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prognosis. All of that.” Medical
experts agree that by asking

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questions, patients can help
improve their care. Here are

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some questions you might ask
What is this test for? When will

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I get the results? Why do I need
this treatment? Are there any

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alternatives? What are possible
complications? How do you spell

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the name of this drug? Are there
any side effects? Will this

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medicine interact with others I
am taking? “Doctors and nurses

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like those kinds of questions
because they learn through those

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questions what's on the
patient's mind, what are they

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worried about.” “Becoming part
of the team empowers you to get

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the best care but also the
safest care.” Speaking of safe

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care, one of the biggest threats
to patients in the hospital is

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HAIs, Healthcare Associated
Infections. As a patient, you

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can help prevent infections by
reminding everyone who comes

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into your hospital room to wash
or sanitize their hands  “The

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bacteria that we're talking
about really don't care which

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hands they're riding on. It can
be the hands of a patient, of a

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doctor or of a visitor. So yes,
it's a good idea for everybody

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to wash their hands frequently
when they're in the healthcare

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environment.” Other things you
can do to prevent infections in

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the hospital: If your room looks
dirty, ask to have it cleaned.

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If a catheter has been placed
into one of your veins, ask if

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it's still needed. Speak up if
you notice a lot of pain,

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redness or swelling around a
catheter or around any surgical

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wounds. If the dressing around a
catheter or any wound gets loose

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or wet, ask a nurse to check it.
Above all else, speak up. Or, as

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patient and patient advocate
Tiffany Christensen puts it,

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CUS, with one s! “I am
concerned. I'm uncomfortable and

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I'm scared. So we're using “I”
language to talk about the

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things that we're worried about
and we're making sure that we

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stop the line before something
happens that we're not feeling

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good about.”