ABSTRACT
Summary ................................................................................................................ 126 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 126 Hospital-Acquired Diseases ................................................................................... 129 Example Microbes: Representatives ...................................................................... 130
S. aureus ............................................................................................................ 131 Tuberculosis ...................................................................................................... 132 Enterococci ........................................................................................................ 134 Acinetobacter Baumannii .................................................................................. 139 Clostridium DifŽcile .......................................................................................... 140
Survival Time ......................................................................................................... 141 In®uenza ................................................................................................................. 141 Hand Washing ........................................................................................................ 144 Noninfectious Hazards ........................................................................................... 145
Latex Gloves ..................................................................................................... 145 Anesthetic Gases ............................................................................................... 146 Disinfectants ...................................................................................................... 147
Chlorine/Iodine ...................................................................................................... 149 Phenol .................................................................................................................... 150 Alcohol ................................................................................................................... 150 Hydrogen Peroxide ................................................................................................ 150 Formaldehyde......................................................................................................... 151 Glutaraldehyde ....................................................................................................... 151 Ethylene Oxide ....................................................................................................... 152 Shift Work .............................................................................................................. 152 Antineoplastic Agents ............................................................................................ 153 Mercury .................................................................................................................. 153 Radiation And Radionucleotides ............................................................................ 154 Blood-Borne Pathogens ......................................................................................... 154 Sharps ..................................................................................................................... 155 Injuries ................................................................................................................... 155 References .............................................................................................................. 155
Medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 1.5 million people every year, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. The extra medical costs of treating drug-related injuries occurring in hospitals alone conservatively amount to $3.5 billion a year, and this estimate does not take into account lost wages and productivity or additional health-care costs, the report says.
