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Health See other Health Articles Title: Hospital-infections riskier than flying Staphylococcus aureus, the most known bacteria behind hospital infections Hospital-acquired infections and medical errors are more life threatening than flying an airplane, the World Health Organization (WHO) experts warn. "If you were admitted to hospital tomorrow in any country … your chances of being subjected to an error in your care would be something like 1 in 10. Your chances of dying due to an error in health care would be 1 in 300," said Professor Liam Donaldson, the WHO's envoy for patient safety. The number of individuals who lose their lives due to medical errors and infections is far beyond those dying in an air crash, which is about 1 in every 10 million passengers, he concluded. Donaldson's first report as the WHO's envoy focuses on the toll of hospital-acquired infections calculated based on a review of literature from 1995 to 2010 worldwide. According to the report, most hospitals in developed countries and healthcare centers in remote areas battle with almost similar germs and infections. However, the rate of infection is higher in developing countries, and is reported to be 7 in every 100 hospitalized patients. Urinary tract infection secondary to catheters is the most frequent infection in patients from high-income countries. Surgical site infections, on the other hand, are the most common hospital-acquired infection in low- and middle-income nations, affecting up to one-third of the surgical patients. The situation in developed states is far beyond acceptable. Figures revealed that Canada has the worst 'health care-associated' infection rate in developed countries, with a rate of 11.6 percent in 2002 compared with 4.5 percent in the US and about 7 percent in the EU. Infections may imply longer hospital stays, higher chance of long-term disability, increased antibiotic resistance, massive financial burden for health system, high costs for patients and their families, and excess number of deaths, the WHO report noted. "It shows that health care general worldwide still has a long way to go," England's former chief medical officer added. "Health care has not achieved the level of safety of many other high-risk industries." The findings suggest that about 50 percent or even more of the current hospital-acquired infections can be prevented if healthcare providers wash their hands with soap and water more frequently. SJM/PKH In the US 100-thousand die annually from prescribed drug reactions, 50-thousand from hospital infections. Hospital infections may well result from being indoors too long and thus not getting enough vitamin D.
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