Illnesses Resulting from a Hospital
Though good hospitals are the best places to heal from illnesses and infections, they can also occasionally spread illnesses or cause other problems in their attempt to heal. Luckily, contracted infections in hospitals appear to be dropping as time goes down (on both a more recent scale and in comparison to, say, field hospitals of the Civil War). In any case, there are a large number of hospital contracted infections every year (sources estimate 5-10% of hospital patients end up with an infection), some of which are more common than others, while other complications may result from the actual care. While doctors in hospitals will be keeping an eye out for these infections, patients should be aware of the potential infections in order to guard against them.
1. MRSA
MRSA is the abbreviated name of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and is a more resistant type of staph infection. This bacteria can often be acquired easily in a hospital stay because it is passed through contact, of which there is plenty in a hospital. Luckily, instances of this infection in hospitals are greatly decreased.
2. C. difficile
Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile as it is more commonly known, is a bacteria that normally resides in the body but can cause problems in cases of overpopulation, which happens more frequently during a hospital stay. This is commonly contracted in hospitals because its overpopulation is associated with the administration of certain antibiotics which many patients receive while in a hospital. Luckily, stopping treatment of the particular antibiotics can often return the body to a proper state. Rates of C. difficile are dropping in hospitals as a result of more awareness of associated antibiotics.
3. Bed sores
Bed sores are common for patients who are confined to a bed for long periods of times, and especially coma patients who move very little in a long hospital stay. Bed sores are not caused by any particular infection, but instead from a single part of the body being under constant pressure or under friction, such as against the mattress or sides of a hospital bed. These ulcers happen frequently in hospitals where patients are in for long term treatment and are unable to move due to some other illness.
4. Urinary infections
Urinary tract infections are the most common infections contracted in hospitals in many different countries around the world. Some research shows that catheters impregnated with antibiotics may help reduce urinary tract infections.
5. Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the lungs and is often contracted during a hospital stay as a result of compromised immune systems and higher rates of the particular causal bacteria.
6. Surgical site infections
Infections contracted in hospitals around surgical sites has long been one of the top three most common infections contracted in hospitals. These infections may result from a number of different possible bacteria.