Hospitalization is a norm of the day.
Even for a minor discomfort bed chasers called Doctors scare you in such a way by saying, ‘I do not think there is any problem, but it is safe to undergo these tests/procedures so that we do not encounter any problems, not that I foresee any”
You are left with no option bit to opt for Hospitalization even if it is for a routine check up.
But the Dangers of Hospitalization is catching on to some disease which you do not have.Worse still is some diseases are very dangerous.
“A hospital-acquired infection, also known as a HAI or in medical literature as a nosocomial infection, is an infection whose development is favoured by a hospital environment, such as one acquired by a patient during a hospital visit or one developing among hospital staff. Such infections include fungal and bacterial infections and are aggravated by the reduced resistance of individual patients(Wiki)”
Here is an Overview of Hospital Acquired Infections.
“No discussion of patient safety would be complete without covering the growth of superbugs: those infectious organisms that make patients sick, and may even cause death. They are called superbugs because it’s very difficult to kill them with existing drugs, meaning, it’s very difficult to treat patients who get sick from them.
Natural, but Life Threatening
Perhaps surprisingly, some of these organisms are present naturally in our environment without making healthy people sick. For example, about one-third of people are “colonized” with the bacteria staph aureus, meaning it lives on the skin in the noses of people without causing disease. Approximately one percent of people are colonized with the antibiotic resistant form of staph aureus (known as MRSA.) The percentage is higher for people who have been recently hospitalized…
HAIs – Hospital-Acquired (Nosocomial) Infections
An estimated 1.7 million Americans acquire nosocomial infections each year. They are admitted to the hospital injured, debilitated or sick, their immune systems compromised, making them easily susceptible to a colonized infection. Others in the hospital, some sick and others healthy, introduce the pathogen by touching the patient. The superbug takes hold and begins growing out of control.
Further details may be had from the Link provided.
How do we protect and prevent this?
Source:
http://patients.about.com/od/atthehospital/a/hais.htm
Related articles
- André Picard: Concerns over treatment of infections (theglobeandmail.com)