Hospital Acquired Infections

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“Hospital-acquired infection” (HAI) is a serious and prevalent issue in today’s healthcare field. The Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital finds this issue to be grave and is doing all that they can to eradicate HAI for good. Hospital-acquired infections are infections that come about during the course of the hospitalization and treatment, but were not present when the patient was admitted to the hospital. According to the CDC, hospital-acquired infections show up “48 to 72 hours after admission or 10 days after discharge” (Collins, n.d.). The reason for this window of time for the infection to develop is because hospitals try to have the duration of hospital stays decreased. Therefore, the symptoms of the infections aren’t discovered until after the patient has returned home. Hospital-acquired infections are also an indication of how well patient care and safety is at the hospital. The safety and quality of care for the patients should always be a hospital’s first priority. Hospital-acquired infections are preventable and preventing them is straightforward: a code of cleanliness. Hands should be cleaned frequently with an anti-bacterial soap for at least 30 seconds. Gowns, masks and gloves should be worn frequently so that pathogens aren’t transmitted to the patient during treatment. Moreover, when moving a patient, the patient should wear a mask and should be moved only when necessary (Isolation Precaution Guidelines for Hospitals n.d.). People go to the hospital in order to get better from whatever ailment is troubling them. Healthcare workers should give no less than an excellent quality of care towards the patients. Being lax about cleanliness lowers this quality of care and puts everyone in danger. Unfortunately, not all hospitals adhere to strict cleanliness rules and as a result, the number of HAIs are increasing with the U.S. Department

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