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Have you ever wondered how everyone manages to stay healthy at the hospital when there are so many people with illnesses and health conditions roaming around? Or have you ever been one of those few who has become sick while at the hospital? Unfortunately, infections and illnesses contracted at hospitals are more common than you might think. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), every year, about 1.7 million people contract an infection from a hospital stay (http://www.mountauburnhospital.org/body.cfm?id=264). Here are 5 tips to help you stay safe and healthy during your stay at a Northern Nevada medical center. Make Sure Hands Are Clean Doctors and other hospital staff should be washing their hands before and after touching you. Your health is at stake and asking a doctor or nurse to wash their hands before touching you, even if all they are doing is shaking hands, is not rude. It should be standard practice at the medical center and it is your right as a patient to know that the medical professionals seeing you make cleanliness a priority. Remember that the people visiting do not have protocol requiring them to clean and sanitize their hands as the hospital staff does, so make sure they are washing their hands thoroughly before and during their visit to you. Try not to worry about offending them. You are in the hospital because you need to get well and shaking hands or sharing a kiss with someone who is sick should not be making your health worse. Ask For Frequent Housekeeping Just like making sure that your hospital staff is washing their hands often enough, it is your right to have a clean room. If you are staying there for a few days, it is reasonable to expect your room to be clean and germ-free. They should be coming in every day to clean your room, and between visits, you can ask them to make sure to sanitize door handles, windows, controls on the remote and on your hospital bed. These are some of the most overlooked areas but can actually become quite germy with all of the people touching them. Avoid Direct Contact with Germy Areas There are some areas of the hospital and even times when you are working with medical professionals that you really need to watch out for germs. There might have been a day when a doctor could have gone in and seen patients in a short sleeved T-shirt, but changes in how patients prefer to see their doctors—projecting a professional image—has put an end to that. Doctors most commonly wear long sleeved shirts and ties nowadays, and this could be making you sicker. Studies have shown that of all the unsanitary things in a hospital that could make you sick, the likely culprit of many hospital-borne infections are doctors’ neckties. If you see him adjust his tie or his sleeves, it is not rude or discourteous at all to request that he wash his hands. It might sound silly but the clothing that physicians wear is a hotbed of germs. Follow Doctors Orders Finally, preventing hospital-borne infection is largely up to you and your ability to follow doctors’ orders. If they prescribe you antibiotics, for example, you might take it a few days until your symptoms go away. However, some medications—antibiotics included—are meant to be taken regardless of symptoms and whether you still feel the effects of the illness or infection or not. If your doctor says to take antibiotics for 10 days, then take it for 10 days. Millions of people contract infections from the hospital every year but this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing you can do about it. If you need to receive treatment at a Northern Nevada medical center, make sure that you are aware of all of these things that you can do to keep yourself healthy and safe during your stay. And get well soon! Saint Mary's Reno For high-quality medical care, contact Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada. Call today to learn about the services we offer! Visit our page on http://www.saintmarysreno.com/ to see our page today!
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