Personal Injury Law

Negligence Leads to MRSA Infections

By Steven M. Levin and John J. Perconti

More people will die in the US this year from MRSA infections than from the swine flu or AIDS. The Journal of American Medicine Association estimates that 18,000 Americans die each year from MRSA infections. Statistics show that most people who develop MRSA do so after receiving care from a hospital or other health care facility. A report showed that 12 percent of patients who require home health care are released from the hospital with MRSA. These patients tend to be elderly or younger patients with weakened immune patients. People are the most common source of MRSA and they can spread it with hand-to-hand contact. A patient may be a carrier of MRSA and spread it to a doctor or nurse by shaking his or her hand. If the health care provider is not wearing gloves and fails to wash his or her hands, MRSA can negligently spread to other patients. One of the most common ways to prevent spreading MRSA is hand washing. However, studies show that through hospital negligence only 50 percent of hospital workers wash their hands regularly. Patients should ask their physicians and other health care providers to wash their hands before examining them to avoid medical mistake. Illinois has taken an extra step towards the prevention of MRSA by passing laws requiring hospitals to screen high-risk patients for the staff infections. If you or a loved one has developed MRSA it may be the result of medical malpractice and you should find an Illinois lawyer. To read more about MRSA, please click the link.

Full post as published by Illinois Medical Malpractice Blog on August 24, 2009 (boomark / email).