Many of us think of hospitals as sterile places, kept immaculately clean, free of germs. And certainly, no one goes into the hospital expecting to get even sicker from a bacterial infection. However, hospitals are not kept as clean as they should be, exposing patients to dangerous germs. One such germ, Clostridium difficile (often referred […]
Patient Safety
Dangers of Black-Market Medications – More Common Than you Think
I think it’s safe to say that most of us assume the medications we get at the pharmacy or hospital are actually the drugs they are supposed to be. Most people would not even think of checking authenticity. But what if you took a medication, at home or in the hospital, that didn’t contain the […]
Handwashing in Healthcare Could Save Your Life!
Imagine you saw something disgusting on your hands, such as a bit of feces or blood. You would not hesitate for even a second. You would be at the sink, scrubbing away the yuckiness. It’s gross and seems dangerous – of course you’d want to wash it off immediately. But what if there is something […]
What You Need to Know About C. Auris
There’s a new germ in town and it’s not as “sweet” as its name might imply. Candida auris, a type of yeast (a type of fungus), can cause severe illness, or even death, in hospitalized patients. This yeast, referred to as C. auris, can enter the bloodstream and spread through the body. Unfortunately, it often […]
How to Protect Yourself from Hospital Infections
No one wants to go to the hospital, and certainly no one wants to get sicker while they are there. However, germs lurk throughout hospitals, giving you a pretty good chance you could acquire a serious hospital infection. Unfortunately, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are common enough that any patient is at risk. Furthermore, these infections can […]