Patient and Family Stories

If you or a loved one have had an unexpected outcome, been harmed by the medical care you received or witnessed a patient safety incident in a New Hampshire healthcare facility, please send us your story. With a few simple rules, we’ll post patient testimonials on our website after they’ve been reviewed.

Testimonials are intended to educate and inform consumers, hospital administrators, and healthcare providers about the prevalence of medical errors, healthcare-associated infections or sub-standard care. They also provide validation for victims because too often, patient reports of harmful care are dismissed or buried in secret hospital or agency committees that offer no accountability to victims.

Victims of medical harm often report that serious errors or hospital acquired conditions were never disclosed to them, never explained to them in full, and that they were left to deal with the consequences on their own. These consequences are real and have a profound impact on patients’ lives. These include a full spectrum of new burdens, in addition to the original condition or illness they sought treatment for:

• Prolonged hospitalizations
• Life-long health risks associated with some hospital-acquired conditions
• Significant financial burdens
  
• Loss of income from missed employment
  
• Loss of employment
• Prolonged pain and suffering; often for months or years
• Emotional suffering including sadness, guilt, grief, fear, confusion, anger and others
  
• Stigmas related to newly acquired illnesses/conditions for which providers/hospitals may have never acknowleged, taken responsibility for or apologized for
• Fear of the system for their own future care or that of their family
• Prolonged stages of grief in the event of a patient’s death
• Other, highly personal outcomes that may change a life forever

If you have a story to share, please refer to the guidelines link above. Patient stories are used to inorm, educate, and empower other healthcare consumers. We also hope that telling your story offers some satisfaction and validation for what happened to you/your family.