5000 Die from Hospital Acquired Infections

The House of Commons public accounts committee claims up to 5000 UK patients die every year from infections they have picked up during a stay in hospital.

The Report 'Management and Control of Hospital Acquired Infection' suggests there are at least 100,000 cases of HAI every year, at a cost of £1 billion to the NHS and taxpayer. Astonishingly, one of the major causes is the breaking of simple hygiene rules, with doctors and nurses failing to wash their hands between treating patients. The spread of HAI is also due to hospitals' inability to provide infected patients with isolated bedrooms due to lack of funding. In a poll by medical website 'Medix', 80% of doctors claimed hygiene rules were "commonly broken" in hospitals.

In the 1700s, Dutch obstetrician Ignaz Philip Semmelweis cut deathrates during childbirth in his clinic dramatically by applying the same common sense. In the 18th century, 25% of children died during, or shortly after birth. By asking doctors and assistants in his practice to wash their hands and nails before attending a birth, Semmelweis reduced the death rate from 12.75% to 1.27%. Astonishingly, Semmelweis was seen as a radical by the medical profession and his sterilisation and hygiene recommendations were not commonly accepted until circa 1890.

Sunday, 3 December 2000