Infections In Hospitals Get Worse, Despite Safety Focus

When you thought Hospitals were to get better...

Infections In Hospitals Get Worse, Despite Safety Focus: "

Hospitals could do a much better job preventing infections. (Michael Krinke/iStockphoto.com)

By Scott Hensley

What part of protecting patients from infection do hospitals not get?

Despite years of warnings that infections people catch while hospitalized represent a major health threat in the U.S., the latest data from the government show the problem is getting worse instead of better.

Serious blood infections after surgery got 8 percent worse, according to the latest annual health care quality report from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Urinary tract infections after having a catheter inserted increased by 3.6 percent, and other infections linked to medical care rose by 1.6 percent.

Becoming infected while being treated in a hospital remains, unfortunately, a remarkably common event. About 1.7 million infections associated with hospital care occur each year, and nearly 100,000 people succumb to them.

For many patients, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of a particular infection. But doctors and health safety specialists know the sorts of things that can lower the odds for trouble. For instance, health workers can put urinary catheters in patients only when they're truly required and make sure to give antibiotics to patients before surgery.

The most important change, though, is cultural. Hospitals that have fewer problems are marked by a 'culture of safety,' the AHRQ says. These institutions do lots of little things right and have better teamwork and communication. The quality group takes a look at how hospitals are doing on that score here, and the results could be better.

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