Infections Can Be Reduced
This article from the Washington Post cites to an article published in the American Journal of Medical Quality that in turn suggests that many hospital-acquired infections are preventable.
From the Post article: "It's the process, not the patients," said David B. Nash, the journal's editor and chairman of the Department of Health Policy at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. "These three groups independently found that despite hospitals' claim that in the sickest patients it's inevitable that someone is going to get a hospital-acquired infection, that's just not the case."
The Post article goes on to say this: "Hospital officials agree, said Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety at the American Hospital Association, which represents more than 4,800 hospitals and health-care systems nationwide.
"'The new wave of research is showing that our previous expectations around what was preventable underestimated what we could actually achieve,' Foster said. 'We can prevent more infections than we thought before. Lots of hospitals are striving to get to zero" infections.'"
Infections are preventable! I know it must be difficult with patients, families, germs etc - but patients must demand their health care providers use basic measures to prevent its spread. Ask that your nurse wear gloves, wash her hand - explain to your physicians you don't want to shake hands because of germs. Ask family to save hugs and kisses until you are better - if patients are diligent, then staff will have to be - and I agree, of course, it should occur the other way around!