Despite medical breakthroughs over the last decade, hospitalization is still a very real danger to patients. Understanding the common hospital risksIt could save your life if you ask the right questions about your care.
“Infections contracted during hospital stays are the fourth largest killer in America,”Bruce Smeaton (medizoneint.com) is the spokesperson for global infection control company Medizone. “They add an estimated $33 billion to hospital and health care costs each year.”
Others, such as Dr. Peter Angood, chief patient safety officer at the Joint Commission of Illinois, say that patients are too passive and don’t ask the right questions.
This information can be helpful for you when you are next in hospital.
1. Medication errors. According to the Institute of Medicine 450,000 injuries are caused by medication errors every year. You can reduce the risk by making sure every surgeon, doctor, and nurse know what medicine you’re taking. Ask about the side effects and how they are prescribed. Talk up if you are nervous.
2. Hospital-acquired Infections (HAIs) Superbugs such as MRSA
It is resistant most antibiotics and growing stronger
VRE and E.coli can cause 1.7 Million infections in hospitals each year. This is a common problem, so don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions: What technologies or methods are used to prevent HAIs in hospitals?
“HAIs kill more people than AIDS, breast cancer and car accidents combined. That’s why the recent emergence of a super-disinfection system, like Medizone International’s AsepticSure technology, has been so embraced by the hospital and health care industry,”Smeaton. “It’s more than 10,000 times as effective at killing superbugs — including tuberculosis — than any other cleaning technology being used by hospitals in North America today.”
Experts advise that patients undergoing surgery ask all staff to wash their hands after touching them.
3. Pneumonia. Pneumonia is the most common HAI after wounds and infections of the urinary tract, particularly for patients who have just had surgery. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospital pneumonia is responsible for 33% of all deaths. Deep breathing is the best way to reduce this risk.
Doctors recommend taking 10 to 15 deep, uninterrupted breaths each hour. Smokers should quit smoking for at most a week prior to surgery.
