Patient Safety: Johns Hopkins Expert to Speak at World Medical Tourism Congress -- Asia-Pacific

GUILIN, China - Oct. 20, 2015 - PRLog -- Healthy patients can develop weakened immune systems, dangerous fatigue and impaired judgment within 24 hours if subjected to sleep deprivation and lack of nutrition, according to Dr. Marty Makary, a speaker at the World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress – Asia Pacific, Nov. 14-16, 2015, in Guilin, China, the Medical Tourism Association® announced today.

Makary, a patient safety expert and surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, in Baltimore, Md., called on hospitals to reform potentially dangerous medical protocols involving food and sleep deprivation that can exacerbate illnesses in seriously ill patients. Published in BMJ Quality & Safety, Makary described a typical case of a 65-year-old woman who develops pneumonia at home and feels too sick to eat or drink much for several days. She then goes to the emergency room, where medical personnel withhold food in case she needs certain invasive tests or surgery. If needed, surgery might add more days without food and little sleep, owing to continuous monitoring and noise inside and outside of her hospital room. Adding to sleep problems, many lights remain on, particularly in the emergency department, and lab draws of blood occur at all times of day and night. For a list of speakers, go to http://www.asiamedicaltourismcongress.com/speakers/

"Avoidable starvation and induced sleep deprivation are ubiquitous in healthcare. It's no surprise that these factors influence patient outcomes," said Makary, who created the Surgical Checklist later popularized in the book The Checklist Manifesto. "We should view hospitals as healing environments rather than isolated clinical spaces and design patient care accordingly."

Renée-Marie Stephano, President of the Medical Tourism Association®, said the China Congress is attracting buyers of healthcare from China and private and public sector organizations seeking partners for investment, capacity-building and hospital affiliations. The multi-year event will also include a five-day, three-city B2B and B2G trade mission with top Chinese executives.

”China is positioned to be one of the largest outbound medical tourism markets in the world, with rising income and a growing demand for the best medical treatments possible, coupled with the launch of health insurance for Chinese citizens that include travel benefits, she said. “This event is where east meets west, with a focus on creating new business partnerships and affiliations with Chinese and Asian companies.”

World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress – Asia-Pacific 2015 – is a partnership between the Medical Tourism Association® and Beijing Great-Idea Business Resources Company Ltd. To register, go to www.asiamedicaltourismcongress.com/

About Beijing Great-Idea Business Resources Company Ltd.

The pioneering business resource service provider in China promotes outsourcing and healthcare. Great-Idea has been dedicated to providing professional industry consulting and investment promotion services for local governments and enterprises since 2002. http://www.outsourcinginchina.org/; salida-liu@great-idea.com.cn

About the Medical Tourism Association®
As the first membership-based international nonprofit trade organization and think-tank for the medical tourism and healthcare industries, the Medical Tourism Association® develops and implements creative and sustainable strategies for attracting direct foreign investments. The MTA provides advisory services to investors researching the industry and matches these financiers with medical tourism-related projects. www.MedicalTourismAssociation.com