The Most Common Hospital Acquired Infection is 100% Preventable
Fayetteville, GA (PRWEB) February 26, 2014 -- Patients underestimate the importance of self-advocacy. Taking an active role in your hospital interactions can reduce the risk of surgical complications that result in serious patient harm. One of the largest culprits in the preventable harm category is CAUTIs, catheter-associated urinary tract infections. What patients don’t know is that annually over 560,000 people are stricken with infections from catheters, and 13,000 people die every year from CAUTIs. For U.S. hospitals the annual cost associated with CAUTIs is estimated at $1.8 billion. The human tragedy is they are entirely preventable if evidence-based protocols, guidelines and safety practices are followed. By understanding how easy it is to avert the acquisition of an infection, you can raise the necessary red flags to keep the odds in your favor.
A urinary catheter, like the common Foley catheter, consists of a rubber tube inserted in the bladder to allow for urination through the tube and into an attached collection bag. They are especially helpful for urination during surgical procedures and post-operative care. But the longer a catheter is left in, the higher the risk of bacteria traveling up the tube, blocking the tube and causing an infection. While CAUTIs can affect both men and women, female patients are more susceptible to CAUTIs.
To learn more about how you can play a role in protecting yourself from CAUTIs, read this week’s Patient Safety Blog featured on ShareWIK and written by Steve Powell, MS, an experienced facilitator, practitioner, communicator and proven leader with over 25 years of experience in human factors education and teamwork training.
About Synensis:
At Synensis, we believe that by creating healthier organizations, we can improve the quality of healthcare around the world, helping save thousands of lives each year. High functioning and knowledgeable leaders and teams are at the heart of a healthy organization. That’s where we start, providing the tools, knowledge, coaching, and training to heighten the interpersonal effectiveness of every member of the clinical and non-clinical teams.
By helping healthcare systems with structure and direction, we position them to be leaders for this new era in healthcare delivery. We are advocates for this transformation in healthcare – because we know that healthier organizations produce healthier outcomes and ultimately, healthier patients.
About ShareWIK:
ShareWIK Media Group produces and distributes health and wellness content that uses the power of personal storytelling to engage, educate and inspire consumers to make better decisions that impact their health.
With hundreds of “MyVoice” in-depth patient videos at the core of its product line, ShareWIK syndicates its content to media outlets and licenses its proprietary educational modules to employers, benefits providers, corporate wellness platforms, and other channels within the healthcare industry.
For more information on ShareWIK visit http://www.sharewik.com.
Media Contact:
Richard Stone, MS Chief Innovation Officer Phone: (678) 369-6317 • Email: [email protected] • Web: http://www.synensishealth.com
Connie Hicks, Synensis, LLC, http://www.synensishealth.com, +1 6783696317 Ext: 123, [email protected]
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