According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of 20 hospital patients will contract a healthcare-associated infection. The following are ten statistics on HAIs in hospitals compiled from Becker's Hospital Review coverage over the past three months, starting with the most recent.
1. California hospitals have seen a slight drop in HAIs. Multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus fell by 6 percent and central line-associated bloodstream infections fell by 5 percent.
2. Between 43 percent and 95 percent of smartphones carried by physicians host bacteria of hospital origin. Fifty-seven percent of physicians who use own smartphones use them with their patients, creating additional means of spreading bacteria.
3. The national rate of hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has decreased by 54.2 percent since 2005.
4. Early data from a study looking at using the probiotics in yogurt to reduce HAIs shows a 69 percent reduction in C. difficile between 2011 to 2012.
5. Thirty seven percent of hospitals only launder privacy curtains when they are visibly soiled, which poses infection risks.
6. In a study looking at patient awareness and knowledge of CLABSI, only 46 percent of inpatients remember receiving information from a healthcare worker about the risks the infection poses.
7. Up to 100 percent of surgical site infections are not reported when patients are readmitted to hospitals different from the ones where they had surgery.
8. HAIs in the United States cost between $96 billion and $147 billion annually, accounting for both direct and indirect societal costs.
9. National rates of pediatric healthcare-associated MRSA remained unchanged between 2005 and 2010 while MRSA rates for other demographics decreased.
10. One-hundred percent of student nurses have witnessed lapses in infection control protocols. The most common lapses are related to hand hygiene.
More Articles on HAIs:
Fist Bumping for Patient Safety: Study Finds Substituting Bump for Handshake Reduces Bacterial Transmission
Study: Oral Antibiotics May Help Eradicate CRE
Report: 'Winnable Battles' From CDC Shows Reduced HAIs, Still Room for Improvement