A Hospital-Acquired Infection (HAI) (sometimes referred to as "nosocomial infections") occurs when a patient is admitted to a hospital for treatment for a diagnosis, and while in the hospital's care, the patient becomes infected with something new.
HAIs cost the health care system in the United States an estimated $30 billion each year. The costs stem from the expenses hospitals spend on treating the nosocomial infections in the 2 million patients who contract these infections each year.
But the biggest cost? The 100,000 lives that are lost each year to these hospital-acquired infections.
HAIs occur in all hospitals, but in Veterans Administration (VA) Hospitals they can be even more tragic. First, how awfully tragic and ironic that a veteran survives the battlefield only to be killed by an infection he or she picks up while recovering in the hospital.
Second, financially speaking, the cost to treat the patient becomes much more expensive because of the complications the infection causes. That cost is paid from the government's tax collection coffers. To put this another way, HAIs are the result of poor care, inefficiency, and waste. We'd all prefer our tax dollars be spent on things more positive than inefficiency.
Here are some strategies and medical supplies for patient care in VA hospitals that will keep our veterans safer while they journey down the road to recovery.
){kind=link}
1. 4 Strategies to Reduce Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) are one of the most common and most costly infections in VA hospitals. The catheter and area around it can be difficult to keep clean. Further complicating the issue is the fact that they must be changed, but if changed too frequently or not often enough, the risk of infection climbs.
Medical supply manufacturers however have created pre-packaged CAUTI-Prevention kits. They ship wrapped in a sterile package containing all the tools one needs to change a catheter and keep the area clean. The step-by-step instructions are even printed on the package so that it can be used effectively right away, even if the nurse has not had a lot of experience using the kit. More »
2. 5 Low-Cost Strategies to Prevent Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) is a costly, and potentially deadly hospital-acquired infection. Typically VAP occurs when a patient is hooked up to a ventilator to help them breathe.
The ventilation that cycles through the pulmonary system exposes the body to germs that hitch a ride on the moisture that circulates in the air and the ventilator.
There are medical supply manufacturers who have created pre-packaged kits that show step-by-step the proven guidelines for keeping a patients mouth clean so that it does not become a gateway for germs to enter the pulmonary system.More »
3. 6 Steps to Prevent Pressure Ulcers, and the Medical Supplies to Help
Pressure ulcers, sometimes referred to as "bed sores", are another hospital-acquired infection that veterans can develop while confined to a hospital bed.
If the patient has to lie on damaged, weak skin, the pressure, heat, friction, and weight of the body on that weakened skin can cause further breakdown. The wound not only fails to heal, but gets worse.
The wound needs air, so primary prevention is for nursing staff to keep rotating the patient's body so that the wound can be exposed to the fresh air and be relieved from the weight of being pressed into the mattress.
The other necessary step for prevention is for nursing staff to use the proper creams, gels, soaps, and lotions available to keep the skin clean for preventative maintenance, and to heal and repair the wound if the damage has already occurred.More »