The Hospital Environment
The faint scent of antiseptic, the meticulously buffed industrial-strength tile, the blinding illumination known as fluorescent lighting and the muffled cries of, “Dr. Jones call extension 123 Dr. Jones extension 123, please” are all part of the kingdom known as the “hospital.”
As you walk down the hygienic hallways and glance into each patient’s
room you’re struck with the repetitive scene each room presents.
Patients clad in a hospital gowns, IV’s in every room, some beds
are flanked with urinals while others are flanked with urinary catheters.
Each room is filled with patients, visitors and nurses scurrying around
amongst the hardware, intravenous lines, and bed-side tables over-
flowing with this morning’s breakfast. You now understand how
hospital acquired infections can be problematic when appropriate safeguards
are not followed.
Hospitals are home to some of the toughest germs. According to the
Centers for Disease Control, (CDC) approximately two million patients
annually develop hospital acquired infections. Of that, approximately
80,000 deaths occur from complications resulting from infections. The
CDC estimates that up to one-third of the infections acquired in the
hospital were preventable (1). However, there is some good news on
the horizon regarding hospital acquired infections.
According to the CDC during the last decade, bloodstream infection
rates have actually declined 31-43% (2). Julie Gerberding, who leads
CDC’s Hospital Infectious Disease Program suggests voluntary
monitoring and comparison to national benchmarks can
prevent many adverse
health
events.
Hospitals have many functions to perform in addition to administering prudent medical treatment to all their patients. Health care providers have the duty to dispense such treatments with an overriding concern for the prevention of infections when ever possible.
References:
#1) Water Quality and Health Council. Hospital-Acquired Infections
a Menacing Trend in Health Care Settings. Winter 2003.
;http://www.waterandhealth.org/newsletter/new/winter_2003/hospital.html
#2) Centers for Disease Control. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Hospital Infection rates decline using CDC model program. March 2, 2000.: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/NNIS/nnispress300.PDF
