Hello, I'm Dr. John Jernigan
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Your doctor has chosen to admit you to this facility
because you need high-quality medical care.
The healthcare providers here want to do everything they can
to help you get well and to avoid complications.
You came to the hospital to get well,
but you should know that, each year in the United States,
patients get more than a million infections in the hospital
while they're being treated for something else.
Examples of infections patients can get in the hospital include
infections in their bloodstream, surgical wound,
or urinary tract, as well as pneumonia.
These infections can be serious and hard to treat,
but there's one simple thing you and your family can do
to help prevent these infections --
wash your hands
and make sure that everyone who touches you,
including your doctor, cleanses their hands, too.
Patients and their loved ones who take an active role
and become involved in their treatment
may have better experiences
in the hospital than those who don't.
In the following vídeo, you'll see
how easy it is to be involved in your care
and make sure everyone around you
washes their hands.
Hi, I'm Gayle.
Now that you've been admitted to the hospital,
I'm here to tell you about the single most important thing
you can do to help prevent infections.
Everyone around you must practice proper hand hygiene.
This means that people should wash their hands,
either with soap and water,
or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
You and your loved ones should wash your hands very often,
especially after touching objects or surfaces
in the hospital room,
before eating, and after using the restroom.
It is important that healthcare providers,
including doctors and nurses,
either wash their hands with soap and water
or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
every time, both before and after they touch you.
Healthcare providers know to practice hand hygiene,
but sometimes they forget.
You and your loved ones can play a role
in asking and reminding healthcare providers
to wash their hands,
especially while they're caring for you.
You shouldn't feel embarrassed to ask everyone,
including doctors and nurses, to wash their hands.
They really want to do all they can
to help prevent you from getting an infection.
Let's check in on some patients.
Steven, I know that you washed your hands
a little while ago,
but would you mind washing them again?
Sure, Mom.
Gayle: It's important to remember that
healthcare providers aren't the only ones
who need to practice hand hygiene.
Patients and visitors
should also wash their hands very often,
especially after touching surfaces in the patient's room,
before eating, and after using the restroom.
Our patient's son could have also used
an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to cleanse his hands.
Both of these practices can help prevent the spread of germs.
Let's take a look in another patient's room.
[ Knock at door ]
Hello.
How is the patient doing today?
About the same, I think.
Well, I'm just going to examine him briefly.
Doctor, I'm embarrassed to even ask you this,
but would you mind cleansing your hands before you begin?
Oh, I washed them right before I came in the room.
If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you
to do it again, in front of me.
Sure, no problem.
Thanks, Doctor.
I know how important hand hygiene is
in preventing the spread of infections.
Your loved ones can play an important role
in keeping you healthy
by making sure that your healthcare providers
wash their hands every single time they touch you.
Doctors and nurses don't mind being asked to wash their hands
because they want to prevent infection as much as you do.
I hope that you feel comfortable
asking your healthcare providers to wash their hands.
I hope that you'll become involved
in your medical care by reminding everyone,
especially your healthcare providers,
to wash their hands.
Please remember --
You can get an infection in the hospital
while you're being treated for something else.
You can help prevent infections by asking
your doctors, nurses, and visitors
to wash their hands.
Doctors and nurses encourage you
to remind them to wash their hands.
Thank you for your attention,
and I wish you a speedy and uneventful recovery.