How to stay healthy in the hospital

You don't want to leave the hospital sicker than when you went in. While hospital-acquired bacterial infections are still a major public health problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the incidence of hospital-acquired infections has dropped significantly.(Ref1) Dr. Alexander Kallen of the CDC says hospitals have seen a "28 percent decrease in MRSA bacterial infection (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) that start in the hospital.''(ref1) This is partly due to a highly public campaign to alert consumers and health-care workers to wash their hands before touching patients.(ref1)There are some simple rules to follow during your hospital stay to insure you stay healthy.

Instructions

Wash Up, Speak Up

• 1

  The U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health says proper hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent spreading viruses to patients and health-care workers. Don't be afraid to remind your loved ones and health-care providers to wash their hands before getting close to you(ref2).

• 2

  NIH also reminds health-care workers to cover any coughs and sneezes. Sneezing into the crook of your arm is better than sneezing into the air or into your hand. Health-care workers or visitors who have even a sniffle should use gloves and masks. Tissues and hand sanitizers should be available.(ref2)

• 3

  Trust your instincts. Even if you are not a health-care provider and you see medical instruments, bed linens or plates and cups that don't look clean, voice your concerns. Consumer Reports on Health magazine reports that many infections stem from urinary catheters and other tubes, and the number of infections increase the longer the tubes stay in. So ask your health-care provider every day whether that catheter can be removed.(ref3)

• 4

  According to RID, the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths in hospitals, 26 states and the District of Columbia have laws that require hospitals to disclose their infection rates to the public (ref4). See if your state is one of them. RID was founded in 2004 by Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D., when she was lieutenant governor of New York and was horrified to learn of patients dying or becoming debilitated during their hospital stay. RID has worked with hospitals and hospital industry groups in New York to make infection control a priority. (ref4)

• 5

  Ask questions about your medications. Consumer Reports' Hospital Survival Guide says some potent heartburn drugs known as proton pump inhibitors have been found to "increase the risk of intestinal infections and pneumonia because they suppress stomach acid, allowing invading organisms to survive.'' Proton pump inhibitors should not be used for everyday indigestion in the hospital, the magazine warns.(ref3)