by Naomi Kenny

Created on: March 15, 2009

It is estimated that approximately 90,000 people die annually from infections acquired in hospitals. These are only estimates because hospitals have no transparency regulations of its business or quality of care issues. A few states have begun to pass laws requiring hospitals to report infection rates. One major problem is that in these 25 states requiring reporting of infections there is no standardization of how these numbers are arrived at from facility to facility or state to state. But these reports are a start, in the effort to inform consumers of the serious situation of infections in hospitals.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the one of the two leading preventable infections acquired in hospitals. It can enter the blood stream and overwhelm the body's defenses quickly. The other infection is called Clostridium difficile (C.diff). It causes severe intestinal conditions that deplete the body of its ability to absorb water and nutrients. Hospitals care for sick, injured and immune suppressed patients who are the mosMSRA, Ct susceptible to infections and usually have openings into their bodies to allow the organisms to enter. MRSA and C.diff are transmitted by dirty hands and equipment, so they are controllable and preventable.

The key to controlling both of these dirty little secrets is good hand washing technique used by everyone even visitors and excellent cleaning of equipment and linens. The more consumers are aware of these infections rampant in hospitals the more they will demand seeing good techniques in use. The consumers need to be provided with accurate understandable information on hospitals infection and individual physicians rates of infection. Only with the release of this information can consumers make adequate decisions on where to obtain care.

Hospitals need to be forced to release the dirty secrets about infections from MRSA ans C.diff that are unnecessarily killing patients. Medicare has taken a step toward forcing this information by refusing to pay for the care needed to treat preventable hospital acquired infections. Consumers beware is even more true in the realm of health care. Not only beware but be an advocate for yourselves and loved ones. Have someone present if the patient is too ill to ask questions and demand quality of care they deserve. Hospitals can be dangerous and deadly places, consumers need to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Every hospital has dirty little secrets including staph infections and other hospital acquired infections that can kill. consumers protect yourselves. I worked for over 30 years in hospitals and have seen the growth of Super Germs and the terrible infections they produce. Consumers educate yourselves!

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