One Woman’s Battle Against Hospital Infections
In her years since serving as New York’s lieutenant governor, Betsy McCaughey has dedicated herself to saving lives. She was a vocal critic of Gov. Andrew Cuomo sending COVID patients into nursing homes, and her opposition to President Bill Clinton’s plan for a government takeover of the healthcare system helped lead to its defeat in Congress.
Her ongoing effort to reduce infections in hospital and nursing home patients led to the creation of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID), which notes that nearly 100,000 deaths occur each year from hospital infections. She recommends a Pre-Hospital Infection Prevention Kit available from a Long Island company at www.hospitalinfection.org.
According to the health advocate, there are 15 steps you can take to reduce your risk of getting a hospital infection:
Before Your Stay
1) If you are having surgery (including having your baby by Caesarean section), review this list with your surgeon at least one week before your surgery.
2) Beginning three to five days before surgery, shower or bathe daily with chlorhexidine soap. Various brands can be bought without a prescription. It will help remove any dangerous bacteria you may be carrying on your skin.
3) Ask your surgeon to have you tested for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) at least one week before you come into the hospital. If you have it, extra precautions can be taken to protect you from infection.
4) Stop smoking well in advance of your surgery. Patients who smoke are three times as likely to develop a surgical site infection as nonsmokers.
5) If you visit a friend or loved one in the hospital, don't bring candy and flowers. Instead, bring a canister of bleach wipes. Wiping down surfaces around the bed, including bedrails, call buttons, and television controls, will remove dangerous bacteria that could cause an infection.
6) Do not shave the surgical site. Razors can create small nicks in the skin, through which bacteria can enter. If hair must be removed, ask that clippers be used.
During and After Your Hospital Stay
7) Ask hospital staff to clean their hands before treating you, and ask visitors to clean their hands too. This is the most critical way to protect yourself in the hospital. If you're worried about being too aggressive, just remember your life could be at stake. Don't be falsely assured by gloves. If caregivers have pulled on gloves without cleaning their hands first, they are already contaminated before touching you.
8) Avoid a urinary tract catheter if possible. It is a common cause of infection. If you have a catheter, ask your caregiver to remove it as soon as possible.
9) If you must have an IV, make sure that it's inserted and removed under clean conditions and changed every 3 to 4 days. Your skin should be cleaned at the site of insertion, and the person treating you should be wearing clean gloves. Alert hospital staff immediately if any redness appears.
10) On the day of your operation, remind your doctor that you may need an antibiotic one hour before the first incision. For many types of surgery, a pre-surgical antibiotic is the standard of care.
11) Ask your doctor about keeping you warm during surgery. This can be done with special blankets, hats, booties, and warmed IV liquids.
12) If you need a "central line" catheter, ask your doctor about the benefits of one that is antibiotic-impregnated or silverchlorhexidine coated to reduce infections
13) To prevent Clostridioides difficile or C. Diff, the most common infection, avoid touching your hands to your mouth and do not set foods or utensils on any surface except a clean plate. C. Diff germs frequently contaminate tables, bed linens, call buttons, and other surfaces near your bed and are easily picked up on your hands. These germs can cause C. Diff if they enter your mouth.
14) To avoid pneumonia, keep your head elevated while in bed. Also, ask for deep breathing exercises or a spirometer, and request that your mouth be cleaned daily to avoid a build-up of bacteria that could be aspirated into your lungs.
15) When you are discharged, leave behind gifts, pillows, stuffed animals, and other nonessential items that have likely become heavily contaminated with hospital germs. You do not want to bring those germs home with you.