What are hospital acquired infections?
Hospital acquired infections are infections, fungal or bacterial, acquired by a patient during a hospital visit. The most common types of infections are bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections.
Hospital acquired infections result in 100,000 deaths a year.
According to reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.7 million patients suffer from hospital associated infections each year, causing nearly 100,000 deaths. Based on these estimates, every year about 10 percent of patients in the U.S. are impacted by a hospital acquired infection. The annual cost of these hospital acquired infections is somewhere between $4.5 and $11 billion.
Hospitals employ prevention and control programs in an effort to increase patient safety.
Beginning in the 1950s, hospitals began implementing prevention and control programs in order to reduce the rate of hospital acquired infections. Traditionally, healthcare providers have used manual cleanings to disinfect patient rooms and other areas within hospitals. However, studies reveal that manual cleaning is only about 50 percent effective.
In 2010, the Medical Center of Central Georgia began using UV disinfection robots as part of their prevention and control program.
In an effort to reduce human error during the disinfection process, in 2010, the Medical Center of Central Georgia began using UV disinfection robots as part of its disinfection efforts. These devices are designed to bridge the gap left by human error when employing traditional cleaning and disinfection programs.
The new devices have reduced hospital acquired infections.
According to infection control experts from The Medical Center of Central Georgia, the hospital has increased patient safety by maintaining a pathogen free environment and thereby reducing the number of patients who suffer from hospital infections.
The new devices are designed to operate with minimal labor, which not only removes human error from the disinfection process but also limits hospital staffs’ exposure to pathogens. The UV light emitted by these devices identifies and kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are located on surfaces and in the air at the Hospital. The device usually takes between 20 and 35 minutes to operate and achieves 99.99 percent disinfection of a room.
Nancy Osborn, who serves as manager of Prevention and Control Center at the Medical Center of Central Georgia, states that using the UV disinfection devices has drastically reduced the number of injuries and deaths associated with hospital infections and saved the Hospital significant costs.
If you or a loved one has suffered injuries, or if your loved was has been killed as a result of a hospital infection, you should contact an attorney immediately. An attorney can review the facts of your case and determine whether the hospital, healthcare provider or other party’s negligence was responsible for your injuries and loss. If so, an attorney can provide you with the representation you need and help you obtain the compensation you deserve.