well, maybe this will force them to hire enough nurses.
Handwashing sounds so simple, but it’s more than that (a lot of these things are never touched without gloves on, so handwashing is not an issue).
With enough properly trained nurses, you will reposition a person so that he doesn’t get bedsores. You will evaluate their nutrition and make sure they eat so that they are less likely to get infected. And you will clean the areas more often.
Alas, with regulations, often the nurses are too busy filling out paper work to actually see or talk to the patients. 20 years ago, I was hospitalized in one of the “Best” hospitals in the USA (In Boston) for routine female surgery, and during recovery, I rarely saw a nurse. Indeed, when I decided it was time to get out of bed and walk by myself (luckily I didn’t fall) I was stopped by several patients who found out I was a doc and who wanted information on their diseases.
Ah but if the paperwork isn’t done, you don’t get paid.
I would love to see them hiring more nurses.
But part of the problem is getting the nurses to do anything new.
In the hospital where my wife works she is on the negotiating committee with the nurses unions. They are worse then the communications workers union I used to work with.
The discussion to get them agree to a commitment for 100% flu shot this year took two months. The final meeting ended up with managament just saying that any employee not getting the flu shot would have to wear full face masks when on the campus. And the union finally agreed to that.
Simply insane.
There is a lot wrong with the hospital days. They remind me of my days in small community banks that were just about ready to get bought up. These days, you have huge banks or very very small banks. Hospitals are going that way.
Everyone has a story. But the problem is the prices and insurance crap were out of control. Here we are trying to “manage” them, and everyone gets upset.
If the taxpayer is going to foot the bill, then basic quality standards have to be met. Its really pretty simple.