10 Surprising Statistics About Hospital Hygiene
Hospital Acquired Infections are unfortunately a common complication of hospital care. Despite recent progress in healthcare, infections continue to affect patient safety as well as hospital staff. Below is a collection of shocking statistics to showcase the dangers associated with poor hospital hygiene:
At any given time, about 1 in every 20 inpatients has an infection related to hospital care. (Source: Clean Hospitals)
Hospital Acquired Infections kill more people than breast cancer, AIDS, and automobile accidents combined. (Source: Sharklet)
It is well established that the hands of HCWs are the principal cause of transmission of infection from patient to patient. (Source: HYGreen)
According to a study done by JAMA Internal Medicine in 2012, an estimated $9.8 billion is spent annually in order to treat the five most common infections picked up in the hospital. (Source: Nature World News)
This death rate from nosocomial infections equals a 9/11 every eleven days. (Source: Important Little Facts)
One study showed that when a nurse walks into a room occupied by a patient with MRSA and has no patient contact, but touches objects in the room, the nurse’s gloves are contaminated 42 percent of the time when leaving the room. (Source: RID Committee)
In 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 72 percent of physicians use smartphones. Nurses aren’t far behind, with 71 percent using smartphones on the job. (Source: Fierce Mobile Healthcare)
In the US, approximately 18,650 persons died during a hospital stay related to serious MRSA infections annually. (Source: Hospital Hygiene)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are 1.7 million infections resulting in approximately 99,000 deaths annually in the United States, making healthcare-associated infections the fourth leading cause of death. (Source: CDC)
Studies have shown that proper education and training of health care workers increases cooperation and adoption of best practices to prevent HAIs, many of which are preventable. Prevention practices are underway to expand patient safety and to identify and implement effective prevention programs.
Things are beginning to look up: There has been a 20 percent decrease in infections related to the 10 surgical procedures tracked in the CDC Progress Report between 2008 and 2012. (Source: CDC Progress Report)
Prevention of nosocomial infections is the responsibility of all those involved in providing health care. Patients and staff must work cooperatively to help improve the quality and safety of our hospitals. Discuss your workplace’s disinfection habits in a free consultation with one of our specialists to understand how you can improve practices.
About the Author
David Engelhardt, Founder and President of ReadyDock, though some people call him our “Mobile Device Disinfection Specialist!” He has over 28 years of experience in software and hardware solutions development in healthcare and manufacturing, with a particular focus on mobile technologies. David is passionate and committed to providing safe and workflow-efficient methods to enable clinicians and patients to enhance care through the use of innovative technologies. In the small window of time when he is not working or spending time with his amazing wife and daughter, he can be found playing USTA tennis, collecting vinyl records, and shaping music and sound in his recording studio.