| Hospital-acquired infections, also known as HAIs or | | | | - Lack of sanitary protocol |
| nosocomial infections, are diseases that are | | | | - Failure to clean an operating room before |
| passed around medical treatment facilities from | | | | another patient is admitted into it |
| patient to patient. Typically, outbreaks of these | | | | - Failure to adequately isolate patients from one |
| illnesses arise, HAIs can be quite dangerous for | | | | another |
| patients because they have already-weakened | | | | - Failure to wear a sterile mask when necessary |
| immune systems and therefore may encounter | | | | All of these causes of HAIs are inexcusable. |
| significant difficulty when trying to recover from | | | | Therefore, if you have developed a nosocomial |
| their original ailments as well as these new | | | | infection, then you likely have the right to take |
| infections. | | | | legal action against the physician or facility at fault. |
| Causes of Nosocomial Infections | | | | Types of HAIs |
| There are a number of ways that nosocomial | | | | Some hospital acquired infections tend to arise |
| infections may be passed around the patients of | | | | more often than others. These include the |
| a medical facility, and all are related to a lack of | | | | following illnesses: |
| enforced sterilization practices. When doctors and | | | | - Urinary tract infections (UTIs) |
| hospital workers are negligent in how they handle | | | | - Birth infections (in both mother and child) |
| patients, they may facilitate the transfer of HAIs | | | | - Infections from surgery |
| from person to person. When hospital | | | | - E. coli infections |
| management does not have established sanitation | | | | - Respiratory infections - most commonly, |
| protocol, patients may also be put at risk of | | | | pneumonia |
| developing dangerous nosocomial infections. | | | | - Staph infections |
| Some of the more common causes of HAIs | | | | Depending on how severe a state the patient |
| include the following: | | | | was in prior to developing the HAI, and depending |
| - Failure to sterilize equipment | | | | on the type of illness caught, he or she may be |
| - Failure to wash hands and arms when moving | | | | put at risk of death. Because of this, it is |
| from patient to patient, or before entering an | | | | extremely important for hospitals to ensure that |
| operation room | | | | patients are isolated, physicians use sterilization |
| - Failure to wear the required uniform when | | | | practices, and all equipment is clean and |
| working with patients | | | | bacteria-free. |