Healthcare can meet the challenge of reducing harm from infection

NARBERTH, Pa. - May 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Imagine what would happen if today’s new headlines read, Hundreds Dead and Thousands Injured at Hospitals Nationwide. The news would further detail that the government and hospitals were aware of the danger and but were not effective in stopping it.  The safeguards developed were known but not followed; the deaths and harm could have been prevented but were not. Future headline was the same and deaths continued to mount.

Hospitals’ response top Boston area bombing.  

The response of healthcare personnel and hospitals was excellent and contributed to minimizing the harm to victims of the Boston marathon bombing. Of the 264 patients injured in the twin blasts there were no deaths after the initial three. The first of the injured was on an operating table within 35 minutes of the blast.  

An initial review of the response and success of the healthcare system and hospital personnel in dealing with the aftermath of the bombing credit many factors.  These factors include, having written guidelines, financial and educational resources, learning from peers, effective communication, teamwork, and dedication of healthcare workers to protect and care for their patients. The hospitals correctly credit the excellent communication within their facilities to saving lives.  The staff in the hospitals worked as a team which allowed for the best care possible.

Preparation pays off  

In an ABC news article Sydney Lupkin quotes Dr. Biddinger of Mass General Hospital "It's something we wouldn't have been able to do 10 years ago," Biddinger said. "The outcomes are a tremendous credit to all the preparation efforts going on, and I think also a tremendous argument for why those efforts need to continue."  Hospitals across America have invested their time and resources in preparing for disaster response and it was evident it was worthwhile.  

Over the last eleven years since 9/11 written plans and protocols were developed and refined helping healthcare systems and staff to deal with a mass casualty event. Resources both financial and educational were provided by federal and state agencies to the hospitals.  Hospitals openly shared best practices and learned from their local peers and even from other states and other countries.

It was reported that Massachusetts General Hospital brought in expert from Israel to help revamp their disaster-response planning.  Boston area physician Richard Wolfe at the Beth Israel Deaconess benefited by an emergency physician’s presentation of the medical response required after the Aurora, Colorado, movie-theatre shooting of seventy people last summer.

The ability of the Boston area healthcare providers to save the lives of and minimize the harm of the injured is partially credited to a awareness and cultural change due to the events of 9/11.  Atul Gawande a surgeon, a writer, a public-health researcher  wrote a blog for the New Yorker Magazine titled “ which stated “ Why the Boston hospitals were ready” “What we saw unfold was the cultural legacy of the September 11th attacks and all that has followed in the decade-plus since. We are not innocents anymore.”

Healthcare Harm

Hospitals and healthcare providers have been under greater scrutiny in the last decade by patients, state and federal governments and the media for the harm they cause and the deaths related to preventable errors and infections. Healthcare providers, thought leaders including Dr. Marty Makary, MD, MPH.” and experts have proven that by taking the initiative and through often simple steps like properly washing hand , following a written protocol deaths and harm can be prevented.  

It is clear that most of those involved in providing health care in the United States care greatly for their patients and seek to provide excellent care for them. Hospital infections result in over 100,000 patients death each year, and 2 million people acquire and infection in hospitals each year causing terrible harm.  The majority of the infections causing these deaths and harm to patients are preventable.  

Source: http://www.healthcareinfection.com/healthcare-can-meet-the-challenge-of-reducing-harm-from-infection/

Hospital Infections are often preventable

Most hospitals and other healthcare providers have programs aimed at preventing and/or reducing  hospital acquired infections. Many of these focus on hand washing because germs are spread mostly from the hands of healthcare providers to patients. Many studies show that proper hand washing, as suggested by national guidelines, reduces the rate of HAIs. However, only 40% of healthcare providers, on average, practice proper hand washing.

Central Line-Associated bloodstream infections are one of the most dangerous types of hospital infections leading to serious harm or death in thousands of patients treated in hospitals each year.  New guidelines have been established and if followed correctly can reduce the risk significantly for patients.

The success of select hospitals, departments in hospitals and states in minimizing or even eliminating certain type of infections like central line-associated bloodstream infection or CABSI are evidence that harm can be prevented. Proactive hospitals  are using the tools in place and it is making a difference.

Poor communication continues

A 2013 survey of 250 hospital executives  commissioned by American International Group, Inc. (AIG) in consultation with patient safety expert, Dr. Marty Makary, MD, MPH.”  reported that “Maximizing patient safety is the top priority for hospital C-Suite executives and Risk Managers in the United States – but, “lack of teamwork, negative culture and poor communication” will present barriers to patient safety in the future .

The government is trying through use of penalties to help force change, the media seems to have a cursory interest and there has been recent legal settlements for patients harmed by infection.   Small successes are being reported in the infection prevention community each week and some hospitals are getting safer. Over the last 10 years it has become clear that most hospital infections can be prevented.  What has not happened is an attitudinal change; one death is too many and everything that can be done should be done.  In response to the Boston marathon bombing America witnessed an incredible amount of resources coming together to protect us from harm which prevented more deaths and injuries.

Time for action

Each day we fail by allowing deaths and harm to hospital patients which could be prevented to happen. Pressure by patients, increased and continued attention by the media, effective and targeted use of government resources and cultural change by healthcare providers will help to protect patients.  Hundreds of needless deaths a day should position this issue as urgent and important and be able to get the attention of the American people.