(Snippets from the frontline)
COVID-19: Effect on hospital-acquired infections
For years, I watched Infectious Disease consultants advise hospital staff to diligently wash hands to prevent patient spread of bacteria and viruses. Despite their reasonable advice, some healthcare professionals did not heed the warning.
Many hospital-acquired infections (known as nosocomial infections) have persisted at a lofty rate for years, leading to extended hospitalizations, added healthcare costs, complications, and even death (about 100,000 per year).
In certain cases, insurance will not pay hospitals if they suspect a patient’s stay was prolonged by a preventable infection (like of the bladder from a urinary catheter, or at a post-surgical site).
A silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic will be greater awareness of bacterial and viral transmission, and a more concerted effort by hospital personnel using appropriate PPE, and washing hands. We might see the rate of other hospital-acquired infections decrease, saving billions of dollars a year.
Infectious Disease consultants will be happy, and the public will be safer too.
Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D.
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