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(Ivanhoe Newswire) Deadly infections are on the upswing in hospitals around the world. Overcrowding and understaffing may be at least partially to blame.
Australian researchers arrived at that conclusion after reviewing previous reports on hospital overcrowding, understaffing, and the incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the deadliest infections out there today because it is resistant to nearly all types of antibiotics.
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According to the investigators, more patients with MRSA infections means more work for health care professionals at a time when hospitals are trying to cut costs by decreasing the number of available hospital beds. The number of people needing hospitalization isnt going down, so overcrowding is the result. Complicating matters further is the fact health care professionals are in increasingly short supply. Studies in the U.S. show the average age of nurses increased from about 37 years in 1983 to nearly 47 years in 2004. Nurses are retiring at a greater rate than they are being replaced, and since the population is aging at the same time, it puts a strain on the system.
Its all creating a vicious cycle, making it more difficult for hospitals to take the precautions they need to keep MRSA and other deadly infections in check. For example, overworked health care professionals are less likely to wash their hands before seeing patients than health care professionals who are in less of a time crunch.
The authors write, Overcrowding and understaffing have had a negative effect on patient safety and quality of care, evidenced by the flourishing of health-care-acquired MRSA infections in many countries despite efforts to control and prevent these infections occurring.
They call for more study to determine how to better use hospital resources to minimize MRSA infections without compromising the quality and level of patient care.
SOURCE: The Lancet Infectious Diseases, published online June 23, 2008
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