4@4@
4@4@ THIS
4@4@ THIS GUILFORD COUNTY WOMAN SAYS BACK PAIN SENT HER TO THE
HOSPITAL. 4@
BUT IT'S T4@HE INFECTION SHE SA
SHE GOT IN THE RECOVERY
ROOM THAT NEARLY KIL4@LED HER.
4@
2 WANTS TO KNOW'S BEN BRISCOE
LEARNED IT'S HAPPENING MORE THAN
YOU THINK.
YOU THINK. PERCHED IN THE PEACE OF HER
PORCH,4@ "I'M ON VACATION WHEN I GET TO
BE IN 4@
THIS LITTLE ROOM HERE." PATRICIA
STARR
STARR TRIES TO FORGET SHE'S BOXED IN BY PAIN. "I'M ON MORPHINE TWICE A DAY,
PERCOCET EVERY THREE TO FOUR
HOURS,
HOURS, I'M ON GABAPENTIN, ALL THESE THINGS ARE BECAUSE OF THE MRSA."
THE 56-YEAR-OLD WENT TO THE
HOSPITAL4@
HOSPITAL4@
FOR
FOR SURGERY ON HER SPINE "IT'S BEEN ALMOST FOUR YEAR AND I CAN BARELY SPEAK OF IT STILL
.
WHEN THINGS WENT SOUTH.
.BECAUSE IT IS FOREVER LIFE
CHANGING. IT'S EMBARRASSING TO
ME
TO SAY THAT I'M ON DISABILITY AT
MY
YOUNG AGE. I LOOK FINE, BUT I
DON'T FEEL
FINE."4@
THE MRSA ATE AWAY AT HER BACK
4@
4@ BONE
4@ BONE AND SHE SPENT THREE MONTHS IN AND OUT OF 4@
4@
4@ THE
4@ THE HOSPITAL, INCLUDING ON HER BIRTHDAY.
"I WAS THE FIFTH PERSON ON MY
FLOOR
THAT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH MRSA,
FIVE4@
PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME WERE
DIAGNOSED WITH MRSA. I HAD
NURSES WHO WERE 4@
COMING IN MY ROOM AT THE SAME
TIME THAT
WERE NOT FOLLOWING PROTOCOL.
THEY WEREN'T GOWNING, TH4@EY
WEREN'T 4@
MASKING. THEY WEREN'T GLOVING."
PATRICA'S STORY COULD HAPPEN TO
ANY
OF US ACCORDING TO THE
NON-PROFIT
PATIENT SAFETY GROUP HEALTH
WATCH
USA.4@
WATCH USA.4@ "INFECTIONS ARE EXTREMELY 4@
DANGEROUS, AND THEY ARE OF AN 4@
UPMOST CONCERN RIG4@HT NOW." TH
RAISED CONCERNED IN THE
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTAN4@CE AND
INFECTION CONTROL JOURNAL, YES,
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTAN4@CE AND INFECTION CONTROL JOURNAL, YES,@ IT'S
SUCH A BIG PROBLEM IT HAS ITS
OWN
ACADEMIC JOURNAL.
HEALTH WATCH USA CITED HOSPITAL
OWN ACADEMIC JOURNAL. HEALTH WATCH USA CITED HOSPITAL@
BILLING DATA SHOWING MRSA
INFECTIONS
HAVE DOUBLED TO 41 CASES FOR
EVERY 4@4@
1,000 PEOPLE DISCHARGED. AND IF
YOUR SQUEAMISH LOOK
AWAY FOR A SECOND, BECAUSE WE
CAN'T 4@
IGNORE ONE OF THE PHOTOS
INCLUDED IN
THE ACADEMIC ARTICLE AS PROOF.4@
"MUCH MORE CAN BE DONE AND NOT
ENOUGH RESOURCES ARE BEING
PLACED TO 4@
STOP THESE DANGEROUS BACTERIA."
OKAY YOU CAN TURN BACK NOW FOR
AN
EVEN MORE EYE- OPENING
STATISTIC.4@
ACCORDING TO MEDICARE DATA 2
WANTS TO KNOW UNCOVERED, THERE
ARE TWO HOSPITALS IN THE TRIAD
THAT SCORE
"WORSE THE NATIONAL BENCHMARK"4@
FOR
MULITPLE CATEGORIES OF
INFECTIONS. 4@
WAKE FOREST BAPTIST HOSPITAL IN
WINSTON-SALEM AND WILKES
REGIONAL
MEDICAL CENTER IN NORTH
WILKESBORO,
ALSO OWNED BY THE WAKE FOREST
BAPTIST
HOSPITAL SYSTEM. BAPTIST
4@
4@ REPRESENTATIVES DECLINED AN INTERVIEW BUT SENT OVER THIS
STATEMENT
READING IN PART: "WHILE SOME
SCORING 4@
SYSTEMS CAN BE HELPFUL IN
SHOWING 4@
HOSPITALS AREAS IN WHICH THEY
CAN
IMPROVE, THEY EACH USE WIDELY
DIFFERENT 4@
CRITERIA AND TIME FRAMES, MAKING
IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR
PATIENTS TO MAKE
ACCURATE A4@ND USEFUL COMPARISO.
... WE
TREAT PEOP4@LE WHO HAVE SOME OF
THE 4@
MOST COMPLEX ILLNESSES AND
CRITICAL INJURIES IN THE ENTIRE
4@
4@ REGION. WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT EVERY DAY OUR
FACULTY AND STAFF ARE COMMITTED
TO KEEPING OUR PATIENTS SAFE AND
DELIVERING HIGH-QUALITY,
COMPASSIONATE CARE" HEALTH WATCH
USA SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT
TO BE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AT ALL
HOSPITALS.
"I DON'T THINK IT'S ANYBODY'S
FAULT.
WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS NOT POINTING
FINGERS, BUT TO SEE WHAT EACH
AND 4@
EVERYONE IN THE HEALTH SYSTEM
CAN 4@
DO TO TRY AND CONTROL THE
INFECTIONS."
PATRICA SURE WISHES HER HOSPITAL
HAD
DONE MORE.
"I'M SAD THAT THE NURSES AND THE
AIDS
DIDN'T CARE
ABOUT BEING CLEAN ENOUGH TO KEEP
ME
MRSA FREE.4@
WE DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT
THERE ARE 4@
DIFFRENT CATEGORIES OF
INFECTIONS THAT 4@
4@
4@ THE
4@ THE GOVERNMENT KEEPS TRACK OF. WHILE WAKE FOREST BAPTIST
HOSPTIAL WAS BELOW THE NATIONAL
BENCHMARK IN SOME, THEY WERE
ALSO BETTER THE 4@
BENCHMARK IN OTHERS. THERE ARE
ALSO SEVERAL TRIAD HOSPITALS
THAT WERE BETTER THAN THE
NATIONAL BENCHMARK INCLUDING
CONE4@
HEALTH, NOVANT HEALTH AND HIGH
POINT REGIONAL. YOU CAN SEE A
FULL
FULL INTERACTIVE MAP OF HOSPITAL SCORES ON 4@ WFMY NEWS 2 DOT COM. AND
REMEMBER THESE THREE KEY
TAKEAWAYS 4@
TO HELP PROTECT YOURSELF: ASK
YOUR4@
DOCTOR IF A HOSP4@ITAL HAS A
HISTORY OF4@
INFECTION PROBLEMS BEFORE YOUR
ADMITTED, ASK ALL HOSPITAL STAFF
AND YOUR VISITORS TO WASH THEIR
HANDS AS SOON AS THEY ENTER THE
ROOM, AND HEALTH WATCH USA SAYS
TO AVOID USING ANTIBACTERIAL
SOAP AT HOME BECAUSE IT COULD
CAUSE YOU TO BUILD UP A
RESISTANCE TO MEDICATION THAT
FIGHTS INFECTIONS.
4@
4@