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Have you ever been admitted to the hospital for surgery or illness? Have you ever caught an infection unrelated to your surgery or illness? If so, you have been the victim of a nosocomial infection also known as hospital-acquired infections.
C. difficile, MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus), are well known, but there are many others.
Do you know that you have more chances to die from a nosocomial infection than from a car accident?
Every year in Quebec, 90 000 people are afflicted by these infections and, of that number, 4000 die immediately.
A minimum of 50% of these infections could be avoided by better prevention and control measures such as strict hand hygiene.
Nosocomial infections are also very costly to the health system. On average they cost 180 millions dollars yearly.
By joining ADVIN you contribute to the promotion of safe care and quality hospitals.
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Written by Dr Jacques Besson
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Wednesday, 20 April 2005 |
It is erroneous to assume that nothing can be done. The infection rate could easily be reduced by 30% to 50% if rigorous prevention measures were implemented. The measures in question are hardly new, and the Public Health System has known about them for the past quarter century. It is critical that such measures be implemented rigorously and permanently because the war against nosocomial infections is a long-term struggle.
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