The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (2/25, Fabregas) reported, “Hospital-acquired germs may have contributed to several thousand rehospitalizations in Pennsylvania,” according to a review by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. The group found that “23,287 people got hospital-acquired infections in 2009, or 1.2 percent of the 1.9 million patients admitted to hospitals statewide. Nearly 30 percent of patients who picked up an infection wound up back in the hospital for the infection or a complication within 30 days of their release.” By comparison, “6.2 percent of patients without an infection were readmitted.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 1.7 million hospital-associated infections, from all types of microorganisms, including bacteria, combined, cause or contribute to 99,000 deaths each year.

Of course, you want to be treated in a hospital that is committed to infection prevention. According to a report from the Pennsylvania Healthcare Quality Alliance Pennsylvania, it appears that infections are down. Of course, that doesn’t mean you’re totally safe.

You want to know the hospital’s infection record. Penn PIRG publishes a report detailing the safety records of hospitals across the state That can help you. You can also take precautions when in the hospital to keep yourself safe. The best thing you can do is to request that health professionals wash their hands before examining you. If anyone takes exception to your request, don’t let them touch you!

If a hospital’s negligence has resulted in your getting an infection, then you should talk with the medical malpractice lawyers at Lundy Law by calling 1-866-281-8612.