Articles

Artificial Intelligence to fight hospital acquired infections

March 19, 2018

Hand washing is still the best way for doctors and nurses to stop the spread of disease between patients.

Clostridium difficile (often referred to as “C-diff”), a deadly bacteria spread by physical contact with contaminated objects or infected people, thrives in hospitals causing 29,000 deaths a year in the United States. Traditional methods, such as monitoring hand washing and attempts to spot the infection early, often fail to stop the disease.

As reported int Scientific American this week, Machine Learning, a form of artificial intelligence, used an algorithm to analyze data from 374,000 inpatient admissions to find connections between cases of C-diff and the circumstances behind them. The process extracts warning signs of disease that doctors may miss. The hope is to systematically target those most vulnerable to C-diff and stop this deadly hospital acquired infection.

It is wonderful that scientists are working on such technology to protect patients.  Still, the best way to prevent infections from spreading in military hospitals is for the military doctors and nurses to wash their hands carefully and make sure to use other proper infection control practices- such as not using the same needle on more than one person.

If you or a family member got an infection while in an Army, Navy or Air Force hospital that you think was caused by poor infection control practices, or your infection was not diagnosed or treated quickly, we can help.   Please call us at 1-877-695-8757 (24/7), e-mail us at LawHelp@MilitaryMedicalMalpractice.com or fill out the short form at the top right side of this page.  Consultations are confidential and free.  There is no fee unless there is a recovery for you.

Source and to read more:  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-fight-fatal-infections-hospitals-may-turn-to-algorithms

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