Hospital Infection Rates Cut By Simple Measures: Report
Health experts indicate that a project aimed at reducing the risk of hospital acquired infections has demonstrated that simple solutions can have a significant impact on the number of serious and potentially life-threatening infections suffered by patients; saving lives, lowering health care costs and reducing the length of patient hospital stays.
The Joint Commission and the American College of Surgeons announced the results of a project to reduce colorectal surgical site infections on November 28, highlighting the importance steps such as properly cleaning of wounds, basing antibiotic prescriptions on patient weight and keeping patients at the right temperature to promote wound healing.
Researchers indicated that the two-and-half year project resulted in:
- Saved More than $3.7 million in healthcare savings from prevented surgical site infections
- Prevented at least 135 infections
- Reduced the number of overall surgical site infections by 32 percent
- Reduced the number of superficial incisional infections by 45 percent
- Reduced the amount of time patients stayed in hospitals, even when they did have an infection
Hospital Infection Lawsuits
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), there are more than 2 million hospital infections acquired each year, resulting in about 90,000 deaths annually. Another 1.5 million long term care and nursing home infections occur every year.
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of medical malpractice lawsuits over hospital infections, as experts believe that most of these potentially life-threatening infections that develop in hospitals and medical centers can be prevented if steps are taken by the facility and staff.
The hospital infection lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. review potential claims for individuals throughout the United States have suffered severe injuries as a result of an infection that may have been avoided if the proper standards of medical care had been followed.
To review a potential case for yourself, a friend or family member, request a free consultation and claim evaluation.
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