Antimicrobial Scanners For The Healthcare Industry: Helping Hospitals Meet Sterilization Goals And Comply With Federal Guidelines
Sometimes people who go to the hospital get sicker as a result of a new infection acquired while being treated. Hospital-acquired infections (also known as healthcare-associated infections or HAI) are a global problem, and in the United States alone they siphon as much as $45 billion yearly from the healthcare system. It’s an expense that affects everyone who pays into the system. Preventing HAI, therefore, is an ongoing challenge for all healthcare institutions.
As many as 10 percent of patients admitted to hospitals and long-term care facilities contract infections while receiving care. A study1 of 1,253 patients found that HAI affects 13 percent of high-risk adult patients. In addition to the human cost of these infections, some of which may lead to death, healthcare facilities suffer significant monetary consequences. HAI can boost additional costs by more than $20,000 per patient and extend the length of a patient’s stay at a care facility by six to 10 days.
On top of extended patient stays, HAI generates expenses such as additional medication, lab tests and epidemiological investigations, as well as doctor, nurse and management time. The CDC estimates that HAI costs hospitals at least $28.4 billion per year and as much as $45 billion. Prevention is, therefore, a priority, with the agency estimating that 20 percent to 70 percent of infections can be avoided. That would translate to a cost benefit of $5.7 billion to as much as $31.5 billion. With such staggering numbers, it’s easy to see why efforts to fight HAI are necessary, and why making products used in healthcare facilities resistant to bacteria is so important.
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