Nosocomial & Postoperative Infections
A nosocomial infection is one that is acquired in a hospital. Nosocomial infections are easily prevented if the hospital and its staff follow well-recognized sanitation and hygiene protocols. For instance, frequent hand washing has been shown to significantly lessen the incidence of nosocomial infections. Other preventative techniques include quarantining patients with particularly harmful infections from the hospital's general population, and proper storage and disinfection of surgical tools and medical devices. One of the most common causes of nosocomial infections is the urinary catheter. As such, catheterizations must be handled with care.
Postoperative infections, which affect an estimated 500,000 patients every year, are often unnecessary and can be quite expensive. A patient's medical bills increase the more days he or she stays recovering from the ailment and their risk of further complications multiplies. While some postoperative infections are unavoidable (it depends on the surgery, the patient and the disorder), it is often the attending physician or nurse who fails to prescribe or distribute the proper postoperative medication, which leads to further infection. Because postoperative infections may be the result of medical malpractice, an experienced attorney may be needed.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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