“Only about 35% of of hospital employees consistently wash their hands each time they prepare to touch a patient.” Liz Szabo, “Patient, Protect Thyself,” USA Today, 04 February 2007.
“. . .61% of doctors [who are not typically hospital employees] wash their hands before examining a patient if they know someone is watching . . . 44% wash their hands if they think no one is watching.” Robert Langreth, “Fixing Hospitals,” Forbes, 20 June 2005. |
April 30, 2010
Handwashing Not Done
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April 29, 2010
April 28, 2010
Hospital Infections Kill 99K/Year
“In American hospitals alone, healthcare-associated infections account for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated deaths each year.”“Estimates of Healthcare-Associated Infections,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/hai.html, downloaded 07 April 2010. |
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April 27, 2010
Emphasize Handwashing
If you are in the hospital, ask everyone who approaches your bed to wash their hands — doctors, nurses, family members, etc.If you visit someone in the hospital, remember that you can spread germs; wash or sanitize your hands before approaching the patient. |
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April 26, 2010
Are Hospital Infections Inevitable in Sickly People?
Myth or Fact: People who die of hospital infections are generally so old and frail that they are just more suceptible to infections and it’s inevitable that they will die.
Fact: “Infections acquired in hospitals, which take a heavy toll on patients, arise mainly from poor hygiene in hospital procedures, not from how sick patients were when they were admitted, according to three new studies.”Christopher Lee, “Studies: Hospitals Could Do More to Avoid Infections — Poor Hygiene, Operating Room Traffic, Antibiotic Use Are Cited,” Washington Post, 21 November 2006. |
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Overview: Hospital Infections
People who go to the hospital because of one health problem often end up with an additional one — an infection they pick up while they are there. These infections can be very serious. They can require months of grueling treatment, and more than twice as many people die from these infections as die from breast cancer.
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