Patient hand washing 101..PODay 144

So, after tattling on hospital staff who don't wash their hands as often as they should, here comes a study by a Canadian group published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology that looks at patients who are in the hospital. The team tracked 279 adults who were patients in an organ transplant ward.  They found only about 30% washed their hands during bathroom visits, 40% at mealtime, 3% while using patient kitchen facilities, 3% on entering their hospital rooms but amazingly, 7% washed their hands when exiting their rooms.

Women were more likely to wash their hands and more likely to use soap than men. For some strange reason all patients were more likely to wash their hands later in the day than in the morning.

It looks like we patients are doing a much poorer job than the hospital staff. But we are the ones paying the price. The U.S. CDC ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)  reports that one in twenty-five hospital patients will contract at least one hospital related infection and in 2011 there were 722,000 cases of hospital acquired infection, some serious or life threatening.

Hand washing is very effective in preventing transfer of infections and it is a simple, inexpensive thing to do. We all know we should do it, are we just lazy? Are we rebelling against our mother's voice in our head? Are we in too big a hurry? Whatever the psychological explanation, the physical effects of not washing hands is real and risky. Not only do we need to nag the hospital staff, our guests and even our doctors, we need to look at ourselves as a source of contamination and change our habits! Since infection is a lifelong risk to the total shoulder replacement surgery patient, we need to be especially attentive to the little things like unwashed hands that put us at risk as well as the big things like a purulent wound on a cut foot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoHssZ_jBTc&sns=em

Medical identity theft...PODay 141

We hear it nearly every night on the news, another big company was hacked and personal information, usually of the financial kind, has been stolen. It's bad enough when this kind of theft impacts our financial well-being but what if it threatens our physical safety?

Community Health System of Tennessee was the victim of cyber attacks in April and June of 2014. The healthcare company operates 206 hospitals in 29 states and the loss of private data affected 4.5 million patients. The company reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that they believe the attack originated in China. Only names, addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers were stolen. Only! The information was transferred out of the country, they believe.

Are these attacks little test runs to see if it can be done? Are they tweaking the security systems supposedly protecting our personal information? Is there some nefarious foreign plot afoot?

Perhaps the greatest risk is right here at home. Over fifty percent of identity theft is by a relative or acquaintance who is uninsured and hopes to steal your identity, your insurance coverage, to pay for their treatment or operation. That is why, now, when you show up at a doctor's office or the hospital you must present your insurance cards and a photo ID. Let's hope "your" thief does not look like you! If he does, there is a good chance he will get away with it.

Basic stolen data used to sell for a modest $20.00 per victim. But a fine tuned package of data that includes not only your name, address, SS number and birthdate but also your diagnosis, medications you take, allergies, insurance coverage and more, can sell for upwards of $1500.00 if packaged right. To the computer world you are a customer just waiting to be enticed into buying the newest drug, insurance coverage, or week at a spa retreat. Your identity can create a real person to go with that fake passport or counterfeit insurance card. Or, when coupled with your diagnosis and insurance information, medical supplies can be ordered and charged to your provider, then sold at the weekend flea market. There are as many ways to make money from your exposure as there are victims.

I'm wondering...if they steal my identity, do the get my aches and pains too? Only seems fair.

Archive timeline: 2014: May and June - preparing for surgery, July - surgery and post op problems, August - recovery and physical therapy, September - thinking medically, Octob