Tag Archives: infections

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

ARE HOSPITALS TRUE TO SAFETY STANDARDS? THE INSIDE SCOOP! (GUEST POST)

Hospitals are supposed to put rigorous safety measures in place to ensure that all of the patients, visitors and staff will be kept safe at all times, but this does not always happen. In fact, many hospitals are shockingly lax in certain areas. Sadly, the usage of safety measures is sometimes skipped because of time or money constraints, which in-turn directly affects the staff and has a big impact on how the hospital’s operations are run. 

Hospital Safety Issues – If you observe any of these safety issues at your local hospital, it is a good idea to consider reporting them to a high-level employee or compliance officer.
 
1. Lack of Visitor Screening – Hospitals are supposed to check visitors in and out so that they can control the level of access that is given to their floors and each individual patient. However, there are several hospitals that fail to put someone in place at the information desk, and this causes several people to wander in and out without any staff members being aware of it. Although visitors are usually harmless, it is possible that someone could enter the hospital with ill intentions, so there should always be a sign-in procedure to protect the patients.
 
2. Locking Down Waiting Areas – During flu season, the flu will impact millions of people, but young children and the elderly run a much higher risk of dying as a result of contracting the illness. Therefore, it is a good policy to prohibit children who are not sick from sitting in the waiting area at the hospital during flu season. By putting this simple safety measure in place, it is possible to greatly reduce the total number of flu cases that originate at the hospital.
 
3. Proper Labeling – Hospitals have a lot of dangerous items, and there are also tests being performed on patients on a regular basis. To keep everyone safe, it is necessary to ensure that everything in the hospital is properly labeled. After all, without labeling, it would be very easy for someone to be accidentally exposed to a virus.
 
4. Slip and Fall Hazards – It is necessary to keep a hospital as clean as possible, and this requires the janitorial staff to quickly clean up spills. However, this means that there will be areas of the floor that are wet, and it is essential to properly mark them with signs in order to prevent people from slipping and falling. 
 
5. Product Audits – In the medical world, equipment and medication recalls are often made. Although most people associate malpractice cases with physicians, it is not uncommon for injuries to occur due to medical device and equipment issues. A prominent personal injury attorney, West Palm Beach based, states this warning, “Medical malpractice happens more often than you think and the repercussions can be serious.” Therefore, it is important for hospitals to have an auditing procedure that ensures that all of the recalled products are removed immediately, and for patrons to be made aware of the risks.
 
Sadly, there are several staff members, visitors and patients who will end up with a personal injury claim each year as a result of the hospital’s negligence. However, if the staff becomes committed to following the necessary safety guidelines, they can easily reduce the hospital’s potential liability and protect everyone who enters the building.
 
Researcher and writer Nickey Williams contributes this article to those concerned with hospital safety standards. The personal injury attorney West Palm Beach based firm of Steinger, Iscoe & Greene is dependable and experienced in matters concerning negligence. They work hard to hold healthcare providers and hospitals responsible for negligence.
General Safety Issues

DON’T GET YOURSELF ALL IN A LATHER, BUT IT IS NATIONAL HANDWASHING AWARENESS WEEK!

December 2 through December 8th is National Handwashing Week.  A task we should do numerous times through each day, is observed this week, as a reminder of all the bad things that can happen to us if we and others don’t wash our hands. 

Think of how many places you enter and exit through the day – your car, subway, bus, taxi, or other means of going to work.  Doorknobs are a great place for germs to sit just waiting for you.  Your computer or cell phone probably has germs galore.  If you have to share a phone with someone else, you should have some antiseptic wipes to clean them between uses. 

Hospitals come to mind as one of the single-most places that infections occur (HAI’s or hospital-associated infections.)  It is not unusual that hospital rooms and other areas contain antiseptic stations for nurses, patient families, and doctors to ensure their hands are clean before coming in contact with a patient.  Don’t be embarrassed to ask your nurse if she washed her hands before touching you.  Many times, patients leave the hospital sicker than when they came in, especially if they have surgery.  Hospitals fight infection rates by keeping room temperatures low (chilly); however, keeping everything extremely sterile is of the utmost importance.

 Restaurants are another place where germs lurk.  How many times have you noticed someone preparing food without wearing gloves?  Have you ever witnessed them preparing, say, pizza, and then taking money from someone while you are waiting on your order?  Schools, cafeterias, and most restaurants require wearing hairnets and disposable latex gloves when handling food.  Manufacturing plants have strict rules about keeping food safe by wearing the proper protective equipment.  We are very trusting in our purchases of produce, but first and most important, is washing that produce once it is in our kitchen.  Of course, homemakers aren’t going to wear hairnets and gloves preparing the evening meal, but they should wash hands before and after preparing food. 

Airports are another handy location to pick up germs, both inside the terminal and inside the plane.  There have been reports of planes that have not been properly cleaned between flights, so it would pay to carry some antiseptic wipes in your carry-on bag or purse, to de-germ the things you may be in contact with. 

Teach your children to wash their hands the right way, with plenty of soap and water, in the amount of time it takes to sing “Happy Birthday” twice.  This is a good rule of thumb for grown-ups as well.  Keep some antiseptic wipes or cleaner in your car so you can use it after paying for soft drinks at the drive-in, doing your daily shopping or anytime you have been out of your car.  That way at least YOU know your hands are clean; just hope those you have been in contact with observe the same hand hygiene habits.  Think about these things the next time you shake hands with someone!

 

 

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Health Issues, Uncategorized

IT’S “GET SMART ABOUT ANTIBIOTICS” WEEK!

Sponsored by the Center for Disease Control, the week of November 12 through 18th is dedicated to educating the public about the use of antibiotics and other similar drugs, which are called antimicrobial agents.  In use for the past 70 years to treat patients with infectious diseases, these drugs have immensley reduced illness and death from infectious diseases since the 1940’s.  Antibiotic use has been very beneficial, and when prescribed and taken correctly, their value in patient care is huge.  However, the drugs have been used for so long and so widely that the infectious organisms the antibiotics are designed to kill have adapted to them, making the drugs less effective.  Those patients who are infected with antimicrobial-dresistant organisms are more likely to have more expensive and longer hospital stays, and may be more likely to die as a result of the infection.

A growing number of disease-causing organisms, also known as pathogens, are resistant to one or more antimicrobial drugs.  A wide range of pathogens—including the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, the viruses that causes influenza, the parasites that cause malaria, and the fungi that cause yeast infections—are becoming resistant to the antimicrobial agents used for treatment.  More information about some of the organisms and diseases associated with antimicrobial resistance, may help us understand how important it is to not misuse antibiotics. 

Acinetobacter

Acinetobacter [asz−in−ée−toe–back−ter] is a group of bacteria commonly found in soil and water. While there are many types or “species” of Acinetobacter and all can cause human disease, Acinetobacter baumannii [asz−in−ée−toe–back−ter   boe-maa-nee-ie] accounts for about 80% of reported infections.  Outbreaks of Acinetobacter infections typically occur in intensive care units and healthcare settings housing very ill patients. Acinetobacter infections rarely occur outside of healthcare settings.

Anthrax

Anthrax is a serious disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a bacterium that forms spores. Anthrax most commonly occurs in wild and domestic mammalian species, but it can also occur in humans when they are exposed to infected animals or to tissue from infected animals or when anthrax spores are used as a bioterrorist weapon. Some strains of B. anthracis may be naturally resistant to certain antibiotics and not others. In addition, there may be biologically mutant strains that are engineered to be resistant to various antibiotics.

Group B streptococcus

Group B Streptococcus (group B strep) is a type of bacteria that causes illness in newborn babies, the elderly, and adults with other illnesses, such as diabetes or liver disease. Group B strep has shown confirmed resistance to certain antibiotics. (My husband had this B strep bacteria following a hip replacement. He went through six weeks of antibiotic therapy through home health, wearing an IV continuously.) 

Klebsiella pneumoniae

Klebsiella infections commonly occur among sick patients who are receiving treatment for other conditions. Patients whose care requires devices like ventilators (breathing machines) or intravenous (vein) catheters, and patients who are taking long courses of certain antibiotics are most at risk for Klebsiella infections. Healthy people usually do not get Klebsiella infections.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin, and amoxicillin. Serious or life-threatening occurrences of “Staph” infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centers) who have weakened immune systems. Visitors are cautioned to wash their hands before entering and when leaving the room of a patient with Staph infection.  Visitors should avoid touching catheters or wound sites on the patient.  

MRSA in communities can be widespread and therefore, anyone is at risk.  Most people who get MRSA get infections of the skin.  Factors that have been associated with the spread of MRSA skin infections include: close skin-to-skin contact. Openings in the skin such as cuts or abrasions, contaminated items and surfaces, crowded living conditions, and poor hygiene.  People may be more at risk in locations where these factors are common, such as: athletic facilities, dormitories, military barracks, correctional facilities, and daycare centers. 

Preventing MRSA infections is a high priority for CDC. CDC is actively working to reduce MRSA infections in the United States through intensive efforts with healthcare providers to improve infection control practices and prevent HAIs. (Hospital-Associated Infections.) CDC also continually monitors the occurrence of MRSA and other infections in the population. CDC’s work provides the foundation for national and local healthcare-associated prevention efforts.  

When you are ill, your physician knows how much antibiotic therapy you should be given.  A good rule of thumb to stay healthier this winter is to eat healthy foods, exercise, and wash your hands often, especially when you go in and out of public buildings.  Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your purse or car, so you can clean your hands when there’s no water available.

 Source: CDC

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues

HOW TO MAKE OUR HEALTHCARE SAFER

We are midway through National Patient Safety Awareness Week, an important observance to remind us all that we, as patients, must do what we can to stay safe when we are in a healthcare setting, such as a hospital.  Mistakes do happen, and may seem small, but it all adds up to the saying, “the worst place to be if you are sick – a hospital”.  We know that many lives are saved by treatment and surgeries that were unimaginable years ago; however, there have been patients who have been harmed by medical errors.  If this happens, it is often a result of a series of small failures that are individually not big enough to cause an accident, but combined can result in an error.  Patients must become involved and informed about their treatment.  Everyone has a role in patient safety, and all will benefit from its successes when patients and caregivers communicate more effectively.

Here are some suggestions from the National Patient Safety Foundation:

  • Keep track of your history: Include medical conditions you have, allergies, hospitalizations, etc.
  • Have the names of your pharmacy, doctors, and clinics ready for quick references.
  • Become a more informed health care consumer: seek information about illnesses or conditions that affect you.  Don’t hesitate to ask questions of your doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurance coordinator.
  • Work with your doctor and other health care professionals as a team: give up to date information to everyone who is treating you.  Be sure you understand the care and treatment you will be receiving.
  • Pay attention.  If something doesn’t seem right, call it to the attention of your doctor or health care professional.
  • Involve a family member or friend in your care.  If you are not able to observe or participate fully in your care, ask a family member or friend to help you.  Everyone should have an advocate – a friend or family member, especially for check-in and discharge or doctor’s visits.
  • If you have to be in the hospital, bring a notebook with a list of your medications.  If questions arise, write them down.  Take a big bottle of hand sanitizer, and place it by your bed to remind you and the staff to keep hands clean.
  • Follow the treatment plan agreed upon by you and your doctor.  Ask questions about any instructions that are confusing or unclear.  Take medications exactly as prescribed.  Report anything unusual to your doctor.

Infections can occur after many types of medical procedures.  This is particularly true if you have surgery.  My husband contracted a Strep B infection after hip surgery, which required six weeks of home health care.  Staph infections are very serious and difficult to get over, so both the patient and staff must take all precautions to not allow an infection.

Remember, you are your best advocate when it comes to your health.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you didn’t understand the first time.  Especially when in the hospital, and you have waited for the doctor to make rounds, have your questions ready so you won’t forget important things to ask.  Our hospitals are there to help restore us to good health.  They are making strides to correct errors that have been made in the past.  Many times our lives may be in the hands of nurses and physicians.  It is only right to hope for the best care possible.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

NATIONAL HANDWASHING AWARENESS WEEK

We learned many lessons during the H1N1 Flu Pandemic in 2009, but one of the things that stayed with us is the importance of keeping our hands clean.  Germs spread easily, and everything we touch – at home, work, or traveling, contains germs.  Our bodies are built to resist many of them, but for those that we can’t, we can wash them away with a good hand scrubbing.   December 4 – 10 has been set aside as the week to make everyone aware of the importance of washing our hands.

When we are ill, we sometimes have to be hospitalized.  We go there to get well; however, many times patients acquire what are known as HAI’s – healthcare-associated infections.  These infections represent a public health issue requiring many people and organizations working together in a comprehensive effort to attack these largely preventable infections.  The Centers for Disease Control is working with partners and states to implement infection prevention tools toward the elimination of HAI’s.

One of the most important things patients can do (if they are aware), is to be sure that their caregivers keep their hands clean.  If you or a family member notices they haven’t washed their hands when they enter the room, don’t be afraid to remind them to do so.  Most rooms are equipped with hand sanitizers at the entrance of each room.  You don’t know what the patient in the next room has, so their germs are not welcome in other patient rooms.

Kimberly-Clark sponsored a study in which 1,000 adults in the United States were interviewed about healthcare-associated infections.  This study revealed that over half of the respondents had little or no awareness of HAI’s.  About fifty-six per cent of the respondents were not familiar or not at all familiar with HAI’s.  When asked to identify the contributors to HAI’s, less than one per cent were able to distinguish accurately between those that do and those that do not contribute to these infections.

After learning what HAI’s are, nearly two-thirds of all people (63%) were interested in learning more about this type of infection.  This is good news, because patients and family members, along with caregivers, have an important role to play in reducing the risk of this type of infection.  Had I not previously worked in a hospital, I am sure I would be among the many who were not aware of the seriousness of this problem.  (Hospitals strive to keep their infection rates as low as possible.)

One of the key things we can do to prevent infections, not just in hospitals or home healthcare, but in public situations, such as work, schools, shopping malls, airports, and at home is to keep our hands clean.  A little thing like warm water and soap can go a long way, according to our safety poster:

Handwashing

In addition to the poster, use a paper towel to open the door after you have washed your hands in a public restroom.  I also keep hand sanitizer in my car, so I can clean my hands after shopping.  Get your children in the habit of washing their hands often. (Easier said than done!)  Anything we can do to keep the spread of germs down, the healthier we will all be.

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

WORLD HEALTH DAY, TODAY, APRIL 7th

In 1948, the United Nations founded the World Health Organization.  Since  1950, World Health Day has been celebrated annually on April 7.  This observance is an opportunity to focus on key public health issues throughout the world.  Local, regional and international events are linked to the theme chosen, and these organizations sponsor events all through the year.  This year’s World Health Day is focusing on educating people of all ages to the dangers of antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms and its impact on a global level.  

The first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered by accident by Alexander Fleming, after he noticed the substance repelling bacteria from a laboratory plate.  Before the discovery of antibiotics, persons were easy prey to infections.  By the 1940’s antibiotics had become commonplace.  After more than sixty plus years of antibiotic use, and increases in the use of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and agriculture, many microbes have developed a resistance to these drugs.  Many antibiotics (antimicrobials) now produce only a weakened effect or none at all.  We may be on the brink of a worldwide threat, as it has been discovered that more microorganisms are becoming resistant to these drugs. 

This type of resistance, or drug resistance, happens when virus, fungi, bacteria, or parasite mutate, or change, in such a way the medication that is being used is ineffective.  Some strains of microorganisms succumb to drugs and others survive and become resistant.  The resistance is passed on to their offspring and over generations certain microorganisms become resistant to most antibiotics or antimicrobials and become “super-bugs.”  An example of a “super-bug” is MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or Staph infection – a very difficult infection to treat.  “Super-bug” infection causes  major concerns, as it can spread easily or even be fatal.  Other diseases that have become increasingly hard to control are HIV, TB, influenza and malaria. 

The only way man can win this war against microorganisms is through the judicious use of drugs.  The World Health Organization will issue a call for action to halt the spread of this resistance on April 7, 2011.  They will ask everyone in all countries to combat antimicrobial resistance.  They will be asked to think, act, and take responsibility for combating drug resistance. These professionals  include: 

  • Practitioners and prescribers;
  • The public and patients;
  • Pharmacists, and dispensers;
  • The pharmaceutical industry;
  • Policy-makers and planners. 

Over the past ten years, here are other key themes issued by the World Health Organization:

  • 2001 – Mental Health: Stop Exclusion, Dare to Care;
  • 2002 – Move for Health;
  • 2003 – Shape the Future of Life;
  • 2004 – Road Safety;
  • 2005 – Make Every Mother and Child Count;
  • 2006 – Working  Together for Health;
  • 2007 – International Health Security;
  • 2008 – Protecting Health from Climate Change;
  • 2009 – Make Hospitals Safe in Emergencies;
  • 2010 – Urbanization and Health – 1000 Cities, 1000 Lives.

As you can see, every theme has important implications for the lives of humans all over the world.  We, as individuals, must be cautious about the over-use of antibiotics.   (Please note that the public and patients are on the above list.)  It is very important that the world pay attention to this year’s theme from the World Health Organization. 

W.H.O., U.S. Global Health Initiative