Why are so many people dying from hospital aquired infections in the United States?

Answer 1

I have been a nurse for 30 years, I have watched doctors go from one patient to another, never washing their hands. I have watched nurses change dressings and never wash their hands. If you ever have to go to the hospital for an operation, leave as soon as you can. Don't let anyone touch you without watching wash their hands and put on gloves.

Answer 2

Because there are better statistics. The actual number of cases has most likely remained the same. Better diagnostics and better research probably has just caused a rise in the reported cases. Hospitals, by and large, are not germy, infected places. BUt, its not uncommon to pick up a nasty bug in a hospital. And let me be sure to explain a staph infection is not a staff infection. Staph infection, short for staphylococcus aureus is a nasty bug that runs around hospitals and most dangerously, ORs everywhere. It is not an infection that is necessarily acquired from staff, as in hospital personnel. However, poor hygiene how this little bug is spread. It could be in the linens of your bed, it could be on a gurney used for transportation, it could be anywhere. Also of note, the staph bug is common outside of hospitals as well, including on surfaces you touch every day. I saw a patient last week who cut herself on a slide at the park and developed a nasty staph infection on her leg. The problem with staph in a hospital is that people in hospitals are there because they are already sick, and many times, their immune system is weakened from whatever ailment has them hospitalized in the first place. Also, the incisions from surgeries performed in hospitals are an easy target for infection with a nice warm, moist place for infection to grow easily.

The long and short of my answer is that the infection rate is probably no worse than it was 30 years ago; it is simply better diagnosed and reported now. You can come into contact with these germs ANYWHERE, not just in the hospital. Last, but not least, the risks of non-treatment for whatever condition your physician wants to hospitalize you for are probably greater than the risk of developing an infection while in the hospital. So if you need to be hospitalized, go ahead and do it. And it is ok to ask all employees to wash their hands before they touch you, as they should be doing anyway.

Answer 3

Because many bacterias in the hospitals are super strains that are antibiotic resistant. My daughter got one at home and the hospital tried like crazy to quartine her, but really. I saw many lapses.
The bacteria, has lived through many cycles of cleaning and sanitizing and has been made stronger by the fact.
Theese infections dont respond well to antibiotics, and can eat away at tissue. Very dangerous. People could help by not using anti bacterial agents in their homes. They make the problems worse not better. They breed super strains. That can harm their familys. Soap water and bleach always will do the trick!!

Answer 4

I'll go along with Jennifer, the statics's are probably much better then they were. I saw no difference in the death rates of young people. Some that come in are in bad state when they enter and expect miracles. My daughter is a surgical nurse and was a heart transplant nurse and, a former ER nurse, she said the death rate is almost non existent for most patients that come in, in time, and have their problems taken care of. I have to agree.

Answer 5

Air ventilation systems that are not properly cleaned (and I wouldn't know how, so no major criticism there, really),
and anitbacterial everything.
There is some research that suggests, if not proves, that antibacterial products only kill weak germs, leaving MORE room for the STRONGER germs to thrive.
Then the stronger germs become RESISTANT to the stuff,
leading to worse strains of disease.
I think they're related.