New word for the day: "Nosocomial" infection
I had never heard this term before until I was doing a little Science News browsing. A "nosocomial infection" is one that is acquired from being IN the hospital for some other reason. In this article, researchers used a technique from forensic medicine to find traces of blood inside a supposedly "clean" room. Read the article, and then do a little more reading on nosocomial infections, recommended methods for avoiding these infections, or the general problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. As always, find something new to discuss, and be sure to USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
41 comments:
Some ways to avoid contracting these nosocomial infections is to isolate patients, wash hands, wear aprons. Isolating certain patients and certain nurses and doctors can lower the risk of contracting these infections. One of the most helpful and easy ways to prevent contracting diseases and infections is to wash your hands thoroughly with soup. Wearing aprons can reduce the risk of infections. Certain aprons should be worn for certain patients only and should be disposed accordingly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosocomial_infection#Prevention
Whoa, Nonsocomial infections are really bad because these are the kinds of infections you get when you are in the hospital. I ran across an article online and it said that nonsocomial infections are the eighth leading cause of death in the United States. That's pretty insane. I didn't know that going to the hospital can also be so dangerous. The reason why nosocomial infections are hard to treat is because many bacteria that you might get at the hospital become resistant to many antibiotics used in there. This is why we have so many deaths in the U.S. if we can't find a strong antibiotic to destroy the bacteria. Next time you go to the hospital, try to avoid anything that might be hazardous to your health.
http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/faqs/qt/nosocomial.htm
I have heard about such infections occurring before in hosptials I just never knew the exact term. It seems like such a paradox to get sick while in the hospital because the whole point of going to the hospital is because you are already sick in some physical way. I figure these infections can get pretty dangerous because hospitals are becoming more and more sterile leading to bacteria/viruses that can adapt to those changes.
The CDC has a National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS) that helps health care workers and hospital managers to prevent such infections and manage any epidemics in the hospital if they occur. For more information:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/nnis.html
I found an interesting nosocomial infection article that stated that the NNIS collected data showing that the infection rate has increased due to progressively shorter inpatient stays. Patients that are mainly infected are immunocompromised because of age, underlying diseases, or medical or surgical treatments. Also, the highest incidences of infection occur at the ICU, which deals with blood transferring procedures. To avoid infections, better invasive devices for surgery can be developed and used that will minimize bleeding and thus the risk of nosocomial infections. Hospitals can also adopt aggressive antibiotic programs to make sure every surface is clean and free of blood residue (example of which in the article provided). Research on this topic has convinced me to be very careful anytime I have to go to a hospital. For more information:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol4no3/weinstein.htm
I found an interesting article related to the antibiotic-resistant bacteria that causes urinary tract infections (UTIs). According to researchers in The State University of New Jersey and the University of Michigan, a regular dose of cranberry juice is sufficient protection against these infections. Cranberry juice was tested as prevention for UTIs, which in turn eliminates the need for antibiotics. It served to "wash away the problematic bacteria from the bladder." I found this article interesting because I am constantly reading in magazines that "blueberries prevent cancer," or "nuts prevent heart disease," but there is actual scientific evidence that concludes the health benefits of cranberry juice.
For more information:
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/medicine_health/report-10684.html
I researched an article that discussed the evolution of these bacterias that are found in hospitals; "nosocomial infections". Apparently, many of these bacterias like MRSA are resistant to the antibiotics that are offered today so we have to constantly make new ones very often to combat these adapting diseases. This articles states that there are five ways that these diseases are able to evolve and become so abundant. However, the three that are most related are a lack of public education, infections abundant in hospitals and the use of antibiotics in agriculture. I think that our dependence on antibiotics has made these infections even worse. More information can be found at...
http://www.biology-online.org/articles/challenge_antibiotic_resistance_contemplate/evolution_resistance.html
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria come out of something like the survival of the fittest. According to the article from the FDA, resistance is inevitable and a result of evolution. Once ingested, antibiotics kill most of the bacteria that are defenseless but a select few are left behind. These bacteria than multiply and emerge as the predominant type of bacteria.
The rise of these resistant bacteria is blamed on the abuse of antibiotics- they are taken for viral infections quite often. However, another interesting cause is the presence of antibiotics in livestock. These animals are administered drugs to prevent disease, and they are later killed for food. Even though bacteria is killed through cooking, there have been reports of some pathogens that have survived in the meat which later infected a human. The FDA is still investigating if this really does cause disease in humans.
This really makes you think twice about what we kinds of foods we choose to eat and where these vegetables/meat come from!
http://www.fda.gov/Fdac/features/795_antibio.html
It is kind of scary how infectious diseases can develop in the long term care facilities and many people are unaware of it. This article not only discusses the causes and magnitude of the possible diseases, it also mentioned methods and control programs developed to help prevent these infections. Some of the helpful methods are infection surveillance, which collects data on nosocomial infections then used for education programs to prevent epidemic, and resident & employee health programs which focuses on the immunization and the vaccination of individuals who are more prone to these infections. However, the most important prevention is still the most rudimentary things such as hand washing and basic hygiene. Elders are more susceptible to the infections since our immunity to bacteria decreases with age and this is a very important component of the nosocomial infections that people should be aware of so we would pay more attention to their health and reduce their chances of catching a disease.
http://www.shea-online.org/Assets/files/position_papers/IC-LTCF97.PDF
The most important nosocomial infection to be aware of is MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) - an infection that is resistant to most broad-spectrum antibiotics. Though it is common to pick up in hospitals, I've also observed people picking up the disease in nursing homes as well (where there can be hospital-like conditions). What people should know is that it is a major killer in the US - more than AIDs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR2007101601392_pf.html
According to this scholarly article on MRSA:
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3372615
The spread of MRSA can be stopped significantly with immediate identification and isolation. Denmark has been largely successful in this regard, while Wales has had constant outbreaks because the hospital staff had abandoned identification procedures. In the medical field, there is a term for infection rates. Its R0 ('R'+Zero), and for every infected person, if its 1, it means they'll infect one person they meet, and so on. MRSA's infection rate is between .32-1.04 largely depending on the efficacy of the hospital's preventative measures.
I decided to do some research on antibiotic resistant bacteria since it seems to tie nicely into this article, especially if blood is still being found in traces around hospital rooms. Below is the article I read:
http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/122/antibacterial
Apparently, the antibacterial soap we are all so used to using may be developing stronger and stronger bacteria. Triclosoan, the antibiotic found within antibacterial soap, does not always kill all the bacteria on ones hands after washing. This, researchers say, may allow certain strains of bacteria to become resistant to it - a more than likely possibility since so many people use this sort of soap! In regard to hospitals: if doctors, nurses, or family members have Triclosan resistant bacteria on their hands, they have the potential to spread infection to hospitalized people - if blood is left around the room, then again, it may also be strong enough to resist common cleaning agents.
http://www.pulmonaryreviews.com/jul00/pr_jul00_bloodinfections.html
The site I found states that in the United States it is predicted that 875,000 to 3.5 million people are affected by nosocomial infections. The number one cause of bloodstream nosocomial infection is said to be staphlyococcus, which has a mortality rate of about 21%. I find this alarming that so many people in the United States are affected by nosocomial infections and my own biology professor wasnt familiar with the term until recently. This site says that Hypothermia is an important risk factor for patients who die of nosocomical blood stream infections. Staff training level in hospitals is a contributing factor to these infections as well. The site also states that most nosocomial bloodstream infections are associated with central venous catheters and using certain other devices can prevent these particular infections up to 90%.
I found this article pretty interesting since it is a topic I usually wouldn’t ever think about. As I began researching I found one statistic that instantly hit me. These nosocomial infections cause 20,000 deaths every year. Not only is that shocking, but about 10% of American hospital patients come down with these infections. These infections usually are found in the urinary tract, surgical wounds, the respiratory tract, open wounds in the skin often from burns, blood, gastrointestinal tract, and the central nervous system. The fact that these infections don’t just target one part of the body reveals how deadly they truly are. The most common mode of transmission is from person to person contact including nurses, doctors, and other patients. Though there isn’t one specific way to prevent these infections, taking caution and trying not to touch anything that isn’t necessary is the key to escaping these deadly nosocomial infections.
http://www.mansfield.ohio-state.edu/~sabedon/biol2053.htm
The found the article sited in the post on nosocomial infection to be quite interesting. The fact that the study was performed in a dialysis unit with patients requiring large bore needles and blood products everywhere would suggest the high likelihood of multiple sites of contamination. In addition, there are multiple dressings that need to be changed in a dialysis unit which causes blood products to be placed in trash sites and further possible contamination. The shoes and hands offer good sources of cross contamination.
Since most of the comments already address the methods to prevent nosocomial infection I will not repeat them.
Because antibiotic resistance is a serious problem with nosocomial infections, I researched some of the newer antibiotic available in hopes of treating these infections.
One site summarizes the multiple antibiotics used in treating nosocomial infections.
http://jaapa.com/issues/j20040601/articles/antibiotics0604.html
Merck is studying a very promising new antibiotic called platensimycin to eradicate MRSA infections. My brother works for Merck and states it looks like a great drug. The drug currently has very few side effects. It apparently works by binding to FabF. a crucial enzyme in the fatty acid pathway. Hopefully, these "superbugs" plaquing hospitals and nursing homes can be kept in check.
http://www.mrsanotes.com/merck-and-new-antibiotics-platensimycin/
I just finished reading about a study conducted where Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)and Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), two antibiotic reistant bacteria, among many others, were tested for from 1966 to 2002. They were tested because these two are the most out of control bacteria that is caused by Nosocomial manifestations. The results were that hospitals need to check out their own stuff, i.e. cleaning methods and bacteria presence in their buildings. This study was published in the Jan 30th issue of TIME this year. It was part of the article that argued against hand sanitizers, making it clear that they may not kill 99.99% of anything. That made me wonder that if Nosocomial infections only mean that the infection was abtained in the hospital, what is the word for non-nosocomial infections? I guess it's just infections, but it also makes you think that no matter where you go bacteria's bound to be lurking...
I'm going to go and lysol my keyboard...
April 28, 2008 6:05 PM
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/502213
I did not know nosocomial infections existed. I always believed hospitals were very sterile, clean, places to be, but the use of luminol proved otherwise.
As always, prevention is probably always the best cure to anything and I found an article that looked like part of a book or something, that had lots of different information about how people can prevent these types of infections as well as some other information and statistics on it.
The webpage looks to be geared more toward hospital employees, but I'm sure a lot of the facts are still a good source of information.
http://www.reproline.jhu.edu/English/4morerh/4ip/IP_manual/20_Nosocomial.pdf
The first time I heard about nosocomial infections was while watching the TV show "House" on Fox.
Nosocomial infection was discovered in 1847 by Dr. Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis. The Hungarian-born doctor noticed that women who gave birth outside the hospital were less likely to succumb to infection, specifically puerperal sepsis.
While many people believe that hospitals are the cleanest places in the world, every hospital actually employs a full-time director of disease control to police nosocomial infections.
According to USA Today, since 1989, U.S. hospitals have experienced an alarming increase in nosocomial infections. The most common way of transmission is through person-to-person contact. However, this can be easily prevented through frequent hand washings.
In the episode of "House" entitled "Maternity," newborn babies were on the brink of dying and no one was able to figure out why. There were teams of people testing surfaces and equipment all throughout the hospital, to no avail. It turned out in the end that all of this illness was caused by an elderly hospital volunteer who was coughing and wiping her nose on her hand while pushing around a cart filled with baby toys and blankets.
Hearing about this infection shouldn't deter us from visiting a hospital if we become ill, but it should make the public more aware that it is out there, and the patients can help themselves out by insisting on good hygiene.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2001-03-21-dane-infections.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternity_(House_episode)
I am a huge fan of CSI and i was surprised that hospitals have not adopt the use of luminol to prevent nosocomial infections. However, luminol can be quite expensive (running about 100dollars for 32oz where i checked)and in order to cover the entire patient room, it would require a huge amount of luminol.
Furthermore, nosocomial infection aquired by blood in hospital is only a small fraction of the total nosocomial infection occurring (with urinary tract infection being #1), but it still is a step towards keeping the institution whose goal is to better our health from harming us.
nosocomial infection is just a term to describe an infection that you receive while in a hospital. It can be caused by bacteria getting into surgical wounds and breathing in and out of bacteria in the air. Normal healthy bodies would normally be able to fight it off, but weakened bodies in the hospitable are susceptible to the bacteria especially.
It is often hard to treat because the bacteria is immune to the antibiotics used in hosptials.
In cases of nosocomial infection, one third of them are preventable. The best ways to prevent an infection is constantly wash your hands while at the hospital and keeping patients distanced from each other.
http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/faqs/qt/nosocomial.htm
A Nosocomial infection is a very fatal infection that is one of the leading causes of death. I think it's bizarre that an institute, such as a hospital, which is regarded as a "sterile" and "clean" place, can be so life threatening, if the staff aren't compliant to the health regulations. It's even scarier to think that even after cleaning, the potential threat is still there-you can even get it from the flora in your own body! If not treated, the impact of nosocomial infection can add to functional disability, emotional stress, and may potentially lead to disabling conditions that greatly reduce the overall quality of life.
After reading some articles on nosocomial infection, it seems that the best way of protecting a patient's health is by mere prevention. From the website http:www.reproline.jhu.edu/english/4morerh/4ip/IP_manual/20_Nosocomial.pdf, "infections can be prevented with readily available, inexpensive strategies", which include wearing gloves and consistent hand hygiene, paying attention to well-established processes for decontamination and cleaning of soiled instruments and other items, sterilization and improving safety in operating rooms and other high-risk areas.
wow i have never heard of this term eaither. i didnt know you could get another disease just for being in the hospital. It is also surprising to know that nosocomial is actually somewhat common. i also found that Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common type of hospital-acquired infection after performing after urinary catheterization. and the second most common time is Pneumonia because bacteria enters the throat easily by treatment procedures performed to treat respiratory illnesses. and children or adults are more likely to be infected. hospitals do try to prevent the disease from happening by seperating the infected patients and sterilizing the medical instruments. Also when dealing with infected patients, health care providers use barriers and masks. although these methods help, people still get infected. its just sad to know that the hospital can be one of the most dangerous places to be.
http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Fi-La/Hospital-Acquired-Infections.html
A nosocomial infection is an infection that can be caught in a hospital. This type of infection is extremely dangerous because the bacteria that are inside the hospital have become resistant to the antibiotics that they are exposed to in the hospital setting. Therefore, when a nosocomial infection is caught, it is really hard to treat because of its strong resistance to medication.
Recently the bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii has caught a lot of attention because it is a nosocomial infectin that troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan have been exposed to.
It is very important for hospitals to be properly sanitized but, as the article points out, most hospitals are not. Another way to curb Nosocomial infections is to develop non-invasive surgeries and provide specially insulated isolation wards to patients suffering from severely contagious diseases such as Tb.
http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/faqs/qt/nosocomial.htm
Nosocomial Infections are infections that are caught while in the hospital. The problem with these infections are that they are mostly resistent to antibotics. these infections are normally fought off by healthy bodies but are capable of doing really damage to the sick in the hospital. Ways of preventing the spread of these infections are:
Specially ventilated isolation wards for patients with highly contagious diseases such as tuberculosis.
Encouraging hand washing by placing hand washing stations in many places around the hospitals including alcohol hand rubs.
Making the hospital floors, walls and ceiling easy to clean and disinfect.
Putting more distance between patients.
Ensuring proper disinfection and sterile procedure in the operation room.
Continuing to investigate ways to practice non-invasive surgeries and procedures to reduce the risk of bugs gaining access to patients via IV’s and surgical incisions.
These infections with precautionary measure can be prevented or minimized. If infection is caught by one of the patients the best thing for the hospital to do is to place that patient further away from other patients to avoid spreading. With a weakened immune system, patients dont have the antibodies to fight off the infections themselves, and medical are ineffective because of the infections resistency.
http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/faqs/qt/nosocomial.htm
Nosocomial infections most often occur 48 hours after a patient is admitted into the hospital. If it arises before 48 hours it is said to have been with the patient before arriving. These infections come about because there are so many sick people around, and doctors and nurses can spread bacteria around from patient to patient.
There are various types of nosocomial infections including bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic, which can lead to urinary tract infections and pneumonia. Unfortunately, nosocomial infections are resistant to antibiotics making them very difficult to treat. This may cause serious concern to medical personnel.
The easiest way to prevent these infections is to have hospital staff wash their hands after each patient, which is not often done. Hospitals must also have stricter policies on sterilization of equipment.
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/mistakes/nosocomial.htm
As wikipedia says, an infection counts as nosocomial when it is found 48 hours or more after being admitted in the hospital or within 30 days after discharge. This shows room for little error when labeling the infection "nosocomial." There must be adequate infection control surveillance within the hospital. This nosocomial surveillance, defined by the Centers for Disease Control, as "the
ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data essential to the planning, implementation,
and evaluation of public health practice closely integrated with the timely dissemination of these data to those who
need to know." So the national center for the infectous disease branch developed the HIP. It will monitor and report data and based on teh study in 1970, they recommended that hospitals nationwide perform organized surveilalance, have one infection control person every 250 beds in the hospital, have a trained epidemiologist, and have a system ready to report surgical infection rates to the staff. This is all found on the website:
http://www.continuingeducation.com/nursing/nosocomial/nosocomial.pdf
The website also says that before 1970, there were less than 10% of hospitals that had an infection control house, but this staff can eliminate about 20% risk of the infection. If the infection can be prevented, why not take action to prevent it?
http://www.ehagroup.com/nosocomial/
This article discusses that Noscomial infections are caused by breaches of infection control practices and procedures, unclean and non-sterile environmental surfaces, and/or ill employees.
The infections are present in surgical wound infections, respiratory infections, genitourinary infections, as well as gastrointestinal infections which could explain this infection might be contagious or has been in hospital settings for a great deal of time and a good number of employees have not been aware of this infection for some time.
Since Nosocomial infections are commonly caused by breaches of infection control practices and procedures, unclean and non-sterile environmental surfaces, and/or ill hospital staff, the best prevention method would be to good proper personal hygiene and hand washing for the hospital staff, complete sterilization of medical equipment, and providing a clean, sanitary environment in the health care facilities to further prevent the spread of this infection.
I've found an article which addresses nosocomial infections and their presence in developing countries. The article is pretty shocking as it lists some of the ways that these infections are spread, such as through unsanitary equipment, improper medical care, antibiotic resistance, contaminated intravenous fluids, and inadequate standards of cleanliness. In discussing unsanitary conditions the article explains that many women acquire these infections from cesarean sections, although the infection itself is highly preventable the conditions, medical assistants, and speediness of the surgery contribute to the patients probability of developing a nosocomial infection. People also tend to have much shorter hospital stays than in the past and thus develop infections after their visits to the hospitals and do not think that a health facility would be the source of contamination. Another disturbing fact about nosocomial infections is that in developing countries in 1999 more than 50% of injections were unsafe. As developing countries already have plenty of struggles, health care is one of the most important factors to take into consideration for civilians of these places. Hopefully with the use and spread of the new found tactics in hospital cleanliness, the spread of such infections will be greatly cut down.
http://www.reproline.jhu.edu/English/4morerh/4ip/IP_manual/20_Nosocomial.pdf
Although the development of antibiotic medications is a major breakthrough in science and healthcare, some bacteria have become resistant to these medications. These types of bacteria are called multi-resistant organisms (MROs). Some bacteria are resistant to benzyl penicillin naturally like the organisms found in the human digestive system. On the other hand, many types of bacteria have gradually developed resistance to almost all antibiotics. These are the ones that are able to cause serious diseases and thus is responsible for great concerns in public health.
As a result, it is important to prevent resistance to antibiotics. Some steps you can take involve avoiding and minimizing antibiotic use, complete the entire course of antibiotics that was prescribed to you, practice good hygiene and avoid touching contaminated surfaces in hospitals, where the spread of bacteria is incredibly strong.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Antibiotic_resistant_bacteria?open
What is nosocomial infection? It is an infection caught while staying in the hospital. These infections can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi or other agents. The problem with hospitals is that patients are placed in hospitals where new hosts are available and increases the risks of exchanging resistant bacteria between patients. The hospital is one place where they contain variety of bacteria, such as MRSA, the antibiotic resistant bacteria. Most doctors examine their patients, one after the other, which increases the spread of infections among the patients. To prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria, doctors must wash their hands constantly. In addition, doctors are selecting antibiotic resistant bacteria that have antibiotic resistant genes by using anti-bacterial soaps. This causes the bacteria to quickly evolve to resistant strains, therefore killing a high number of patients. Also, antibiotic resistant bacteria exchange plasmids via conjugation occurs between unrelated bacterial strains. The hospital is more selected against survival through natural selection. The most common patients in hospitals are the elderly and the newborn, and they are “the most susceptible to dying of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.
http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/faqs/qt/nosocomial.htm
Interesting fact:
“Staph bacteria are normally found on the skin or in the nose of about one-third of the population. If you have staph on your skin or in your nose but aren't sick, you are said to be "colonized" but not infected with MRSA. Healthy people can be colonized with MRSA and have no ill effects. However, they can pass the germ to others.”
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735
To avoid these infections you have to make sure that the medical facility that you are in is clean. Those with AIDS or HIV have a better chance of getting this infection. Basically, to lower the risks of getting a noscomial infection, the medical facility has to be clean and sanitized. The cleaning should be attended to in particular.
Only one third of nosocomial infections are preventable because these infections are harder to treat and prevent due to the bacteria that become resistant to the antibiotics that they are exposed to in the hospitals. It is interesting to know that this kind of infection can actually kill a patient. The patients go into the hospital to get cured from a disease that they already have, and they come out with a different disease, and nosocomial infection which is usually harder to get rid of. I think that there should be a requirement of the level of cleanliness that the hospitals have to maintain, otherwise even hospitals will become lethal environments. They should have a requirement using the chemical Luminol to check for where there might be invisible blood specks across a hospital facility.
Sorry, I forgot the url.
http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/faqs/qt/nosocomial.htm
It is nice to know that there are new ways to discover these kinds of infections now. I found a really good PDF/ power point style presentation from Virginia Commonwealth University detailing nosocomial infections in hospitals. The article states that the most common sites of nosocomial infections are the urinary tract, surgical site, bloodstream and pneumonia. Urinary tract infections usually occur when catheters are inserted into the body, so the article suggests avoiding catheters whenever possible. The article also suggests that the longer a catheter is inserted and remains in the bloodstream the greater the chance of a bloodstream site infection. There is a chemical called Chlorhexidine that can be used to prep the site of catheter insertion. Here’s the URL: http://www.vcuhealth.org/upload/docs/AboutUs/InfectionControl/NosocomialInfectionsinICUs.pdf
I did a little research on nosocomial infections and I found information on some factors that make infants liable to these illnesses. For example, the immaturity of immune systems weakens defense mechanisms and makes infants more prone to get infected. Also, environmental contamination and patient ratios promote the spreading of these infections from one infant to another. Some ways to avoid the transfer of nosocomial infections is to wash hands, and wear gloves when working with blood or other body fluids. The use of eye protection and face shields are also important techniques to avoid nosocomial infections. It is interesting how infants are exposed to these infections, and how so many precautions need to be taken to ensure their safety. Without these useful techniques, infants would be at high risks of contact transmission, which is the most common form of nosocomial infection transfer.
http://www.ccspublishing.com/journals2a/nosocomial_infections.htm
I had no idea about nosocomial infections until I read this article. It actually scares me to think that we can die from actually going to a hospital. It worries me that these infections are resistant to many antibiotics because of the hospital setting the bacteria and viruses are in. Also that these infections usually hit patients that are already ill rather than healthy individuals. After researching more into the infection, I was a little bit happier to hear that one third of all infections can be preventable. The infection is increased by: increased antibiotic use spurring bacteria that are resistant, sloppy hygiene, and aging hospitals that carry dust and debris that lead to fungi growth. To prevent the infection hospitals can make specially ventilated isolation wards for patients with highly contagious diseases, encourage hand washing, put more distance between patients, and Making the hospital floors, walls and ceiling easy to clean and disinfect.
http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/faqs/qt/nosocomial.htm
This isn't the first time I have heard of nosocomial infections; my mom is a registered nurse and she has told me stories about people contracting these infections due to the "uncleanliness" of most hospitals . I didn't know how dangerous is was until i read this:
http://www.hygenique.com/stopnosocomial.html
I was shocked to have learned that over 2 million patients contract these infections and about 100,000 of them die from it. I also didn't know that patients can contract UTI's. I myself have experienced one before and it is very painful. I also didn't know that you could contract bloodstream infections and as well as nosocomial pneumonia.
Significant ways to prevent nosocomial infections are:
1. Keeping your hands clean and wearing gloves.
2.Cleaning instruments through a well processed decontamination method and then sterilizing them.
3.Making sure high-risk areas of infections are kept safe for people.
http://www.reproline.jhu.edu/English/4morerh
/4ip/IP_manual/20_Nosocomial.pdf
I also found a great powerpoint that describes specific types of nosocomial infections a person can contract and ways to prevent them:
http://www.meded.arizona.edu/news-events/
Lectures/Nosocomial%20infections.pdf
http://www.cureresearch.com/mistakes/nosocomial.htm
This site reveals that there are many different types of nosocomial infections that are present in the hospitals. These types of infections are the cause of many death for many American patients. Nosocomial infections used to be considered any infections that appear after a forty-eight hours hospital stay, but now since these infections are showing up in even a shorter amount of time than before. The most common type of nosocomial infections is urinary tract infections. It is not surprising that there is such a problem with these type of infections present in the hospitals, there are so many people coming to the hospitals with infections and the people that come to hospitals have weakened immune systems and cause them to be easy targets to get these infections.
According to this link, nosocomial infections are acquired "during the course of a hospitalization" and cause death. There are four groups of infections that patients can get: urinary tract infections, surgical wound infections, pneumonia, and bacteriemia. Patients with old age, thermal injury, immunocompromise, and lenthy hospital stay can acquire this infection. In order to prevent this infection, health care workers should wash their hands frequently not to spread of nosocomial infection. It is also important to teach hospital staffs to be aware of ongoing surveilance and good way to prevent infections.
http://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?sid=H0SVSD2FQNS58KN4GKB0TX3P6VHU6X43&ID=80550
http://whyfiles.org/038badbugs/
The website above consists of several articles discussing issues of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as:
Why do antibiotic-resistant strands come into existence?
How do antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread?
How do the bacteria affect people?
The website help me put nosocomial infections into perspective. While an important issue, nosocomial infections are just the tip of the iceberg on the broader problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These bacteria exist due to use of anti-bacterial products. When people use disinfectant products, there is a chance that a mutation of bacteria will be bred that will be immune to the anti-bacterial chemicals. These new bacterial strands are then free to grow and mankind has few defenses against them.
As mentioned in the original post, hospitals are accountable for much expansion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. But the main factor allowing antibiotic-resistant bacteria to become a global problem is the spread of bacteria through international airways.
For the general public, not overusing disinfectant products is the best way to avoid the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Getting vaccinations is also important.
For hospitals, the most important step to fighting new bacteria is to wash hands and use gloves.
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