why you need an attorney during a divorce

why you need an attorney during a divorce

What Every Hospital Patient Should Know About Hospital-Acquired Infections

by Diana Butler

When you go into a hospital for treatment, you don't expect to end up sicker than you started. Unfortunately, that happens to far, far too many patients thanks to hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of every thirty-one patients in the nation's hospitals falls victim to one or more hospital-acquired infections. Despite constant efforts to improve the situation for patients, these preventable infections are still common. 

Here are some facts about hospital-acquired infections that every patient should know.

What kinds of HAIs are common?

There are several different types of common hospital-acquired infections. They include:

  • Surgical site infections
  • Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
  • Bloodstream infections (sepsis)
  • Ventilator-associated infections

While most HAIs can be broken down into these types, it's much harder to identify the types of germs that are in those infections. Some of the most common organisms that cause HAIs include Norovirus, Staphylococcus aureus, tuberculosis, hepatitis, influenza, Candida auris (a type of yeast), and HIV—although there are many others. In fact, around 80 percent of all HAIs are caused by a bacteria most people have never heard of before: Acinetobacter baumannii.

Since Acinetobacter-baumannii infections usually do not occur outside of a hospital setting, patients should always recognize that they have been the victim of medical malpractice if they fall victim to this particular bacteria.

What are the symptoms of HAIs?

While there are numerous possibilities, some of the most common symptoms of an HAI include:

  1. Foul-Smelling discharges from a wound or surgical site
  2. A fever that starts after you arrive at the hospital
  3. Burning upon urination or difficulty urinating altogether
  4. Nausea and vomiting with or without a headache
  5. Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or chronic coughing

HAIs can occur several days after you are admitted or even several days after you are discharged and sent home to recuperate. It's critical to remember that infections are never "normal" in healthcare.

How can HAIs be prevented?

HAIs can be prevented almost entirely if healthcare providers commit to following important safety procedures regarding sanitation. These include:

  • Making sure that all hospital equipment and tools are completely sterile
  • Making sure that medical professionals don appropriate gear, including face masks and gloves, to prevent passing an infection (like a cold or the flu) to patients
  • Washing hands before and after touching a patient every single time

That last task is one of the most critical–and the least well-observed. According to the CDC, healthcare providers wash their hands less than half the time they should despite the clear knowledge that this is essential to patient safety.

If you have fallen victim to an HAI, it may be time to talk to a medical malpractice law firm, such as the Law Office of Anica Blazef-Horner, about your situation.


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why you need an attorney during a divorce

My daughter and her former husband went through some very tough years. They tried everything to make their marriage work, but it just wasn't going to work out. When she came to me for advice about what to do, I sent her on to a divorce attorney. I explained to her how important it is to have a legal professional working with you from the very start of a divorce. If you are preparing to file for a divorce, or are currently going through one, go to my site. There, you will learn several reasons why you should have an attorney representing you through the process.

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