Understand the risks throughout your hospital stay

Contrary to popular belief, risks aren’t confined to the operating room. In reality, more than half of all surgical errors occur outside the operating room. These errors can include miscommunication during patient handoffs, incorrect patient preparation, failure to properly monitor patients after surgery, and errors in medication administration.

Unfortunately, most of the factors outlined above are outside of your control. That’s why you need meticulous research before you select a hospital to ensure you opt for a hospital with rigorous safety protocols in place and low complication rates.

What are the primary infections risks?

Secondary infections arise during a hospital stay but aren’t the admission’s cause. Key ones include:

• Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs): Commonly due to urinary catheter use, these represent 36% of all hospital-acquired infections.
• Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSIs): Resulting from a central line or catheter, these and pneumonia each account for 10% of hospital-acquired infections.
• Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP): Occurs when a ventilated patient develops pneumonia.
• Surgical Site Infections (SSIs): Infections post-surgery in the operated body part, comprising around 17% of cases.
• Clostridium difficile (C. diff): A bacterial infection, often following antibiotic use, causing symptoms from diarrhea to severe colon inflammation.

Urinary tract infections

Catheters are used to drain urine when a patient is having trouble urinating or when a physician needs to monitor the patient’s urine output. However, catheters are often used even when not medically necessary for the convenience of an understaffed medical group. Worse still, they are often left in too long and changed less frequently.

The longer a catheter remains in place, the greater the potential for bacterial growth. This can lead to urinary tract infections (UTIs) that can elongate hospital stays and require additional antibiotics. If undetected, these infections can enter the bloodstream and lead to major injury or death. More than 500,000 catheter-related UTIs occur in the U.S. every year, making it the most common infection that patients contract in American hospitals.

What the best hospitals do differently: Thankfully, leading hospitals are able to effectively reduce these infections by 70%. Their strategies include the timely removal of catheters, use of sterile techniques during insertion, opting for alternatives like condom catheters, and educating both patients and providers on catheter care.

Central line-associated bloodstream infections

Bloodstream infections are less common but highly lethal, with a mortality rate above 12%. Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) occur when a central line tube placed in a large vein introduces bacteria or germs into the bloodstream. The most important prevention step is to get a central line removed as quickly as possible.

What the best hospitals do differently: By adhering to strict infection prevention procedures, such as diligent hand hygiene, using antiseptic before line insertion, and maintaining sterile barriers, hospitals can significantly reduce CLABSI risks. Hospitals with the highest quality protocols hold daily huddles where they review which patients had central lines using a central dashboard. If a nurse hasn’t documented that a patient received a required antibacterial wipe bath by shift change, the software can assign another nurse to complete the task.

Surgical site infections

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are infections that occur after surgery in the part of the body where the surgery took place. These infections can be caused by bacteria that enter the body through incisions made during surgery, or by bacteria that are already present on the skin or in the body.

What the best hospitals do differently: Top-tier hospitals have decreased these infections by up to 60% thanks to pre-surgery screenings, antibiotics, stringent hygiene protocols, and continuous monitoring post-surgery. These strategies have proven highly effective in managing and reducing surgical infections.

Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs)

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a serious health threat, leading to conditions like diarrhea and colitis. Most alarmingly, it has a mortality rate of up to 24% for patients aged 65 or older. Overuse of antibiotics is a significant contributor to these cases, as it disrupts gut bacteria. Therefore, it’s vital to understand your prescribed antibiotics and consider alternatives like probiotics. In the U.S, approximately 500,000 people are affected annually, with an estimated 29,000 fatalities.

What the best hospitals do differently: Top hospitals have significantly reduced C. diff cases by implementing measures like improved hygiene, environmental cleaning, antimicrobial stewardship, and patient isolation. Amazingly, these strategies have resulted in up to an 80% reduction at some facilities. However, their effectiveness may vary based on specific hospital settings and community prevalence.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a severe lung infection that affects mechanically ventilated patients. The risk varies with the type of procedure, with neurosurgery and cardiac surgery patients having a 21% and 9% risk respectively. The CDC estimates 10-20% of ventilated patients are impacted.

What the best hospitals do differently: The safest hospitals dramatically reduce these risks with targeted strategies like elevating the head of the bed, routine sedation breaks, preventive measures for peptic ulcers and deep vein thrombosis, and daily oral care with chlorhexidine. These approaches cut incidents by an impressive 70%, and risk is further mitigated by using a closed suctioning system and reducing the time patients spend on ventilators.