Articles

Hospital-Acquired Infections in U.S. Show Promising Decline, CDC Reports

February 28, 2015

Four out of five types of the most prominently occurring hospital-acquired infections (HIAs) in the U.S. are now impacting less patients, according to the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, according to a recent CDC progress report, the rates of certain HIAs have dropped significantly over the past five years.

Given the fact that about 1 in every 25 patients in U.S. hospital care develops an HIA every day, the decline in hospital-acquired infections can spell good news for patients nationwide.

Status of Hospital-Acquired Infections in the U.S.: The CDC’s Findings

Although hospital-acquired infections have been on the decline in the U.S. over recent years, the CDC underscores that more can be done to bring down these numbers and improve patient safety.

The following is an overview of some of the most notable findings of CDC’s report on hospital-acquired infections:

• From 2008 to 2013, central line-associated bloodstream infections and certain types of surgical site infections both experienced declines, dropping 46 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
• In terms of certain other bloodstream infections and diarrheal infections over the same period, these types of hospital-acquired infections also decreased, dropping about 8 percent and 10 percent respectively.
• Catheter-associated urinary tract infections were one of the notable types of hospital-acquired infections to experience an increase in recent years, jumping up about 6 percent.

As part of this comprehensive report on hospital-acquired infections, the CDC also broke down the trends in HIAs on a state-by-state basis. The goal of such studies is to continue to pinpoint ways of reducing hospital-acquired infections and, ideally, better protect patients in hospital settings.

Here, it’s also important to note that, although the findings regarding hospital-acquired infections showed promising trends, CDC officials have underscored the fact that more can be done to continue to bring these numbers down. In particular, as CDC Director Tom Frieden explained in press release, “hospitals have made real progress to reduce some types of healthcare-associated infections—it can be done.”

Military Medical Malpractice Lawyers at the Law Firm of Ryan & Brown

While the findings discussed above do show some promising trends in the incidence of hospital-acquired infections in the U.S., unfortunately, medical negligence still occurs at military medical facilities, putting ailing military dependents at risk of further harm. If you or someone you love may have been injured as a result of negligence in a military health care facility, don’t hesitate to contact the military medical malpractice lawyers at the Law Firm of Brown Law.

Our attorneys have the skill and experience to get you the justice you deserve. Although no amount of money can ever make up for an injury or wrongful death caused by medical malpractice, the compensation we could help you recover will go a long way in covering medical costs and the pain and suffering you have endured. To encourage injured parties to learn more about their legal rights, our law firm provides free initial consultations, consideration even if another law firm has turned you down and availability 24 hours a day seven days a week.

When brave men and women like you take on the challenge of protecting our country’s freedom, they deserve the best in legal representation. At Brown Law, we never charge any fees unless we are able to secure the compensation you deserve. Please call us toll-free at 1-877-695-8757 24 hours a day seven days a week. You can also email us using the online form at the upper right-hand side of the screen.

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