Maryland Hospitals Score Poorly When it Comes to C. Diff Transmission
Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, is one of the more common hospital acquired infections (HAIs). It is also one of the more dangerous, especially for the very young and the elderly. It is easily transmittable from object-to-person, or person-to-person, and it “can produce toxins that attack the lining of the intestine,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Some people experience uncomfortable flu-like symptoms, while others might experience:
- Dehydration so severe it leads to kidney failure
- Bowel perforations
- Colon raptures
- Death from outside complications
There are some , but C. diff is still a huge problem. The Baltimore Sun reports “More than 100,000 hospital patients were infected in 2014 with C. diff, up about 4 percent from the year before,” and that both Johns Hopkins Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center were among the low-scoring hospitals which contribute to that transmission.
But they are not the only ones with low scores. Consumer Reports lists ratings for 44 Maryland hospitals and health care systems. Only three of them scored higher than the national average for the prevention of C. diff infections.
What you should know about C. diff
The C. diff bacteria can live for weeks on things like doorknobs, bed rails and tabletop surfaces. Medical facilities who are lax in their hygiene practices may be more likely to unwittingly spread the bacteria from patient to patient. Even wearing gloves is not enough; nurses, doctors and other medical personnel need to change those gloves with every patient they see, and to avoid touching anyone or anything else with those gloved hands. All surfaces need to be disinfected as well, especially if a patient is found to have the bacteria, since it can spread so easily. The key to C. diff prevention and eradication is stricter hygiene.
You should also know that people who have been taking antibiotics are at a greater risk of being harmed by the bacteria, as antibiotics can destroy the good bacteria in your body that would normally fight the infection. If you start to exhibit any of the signs of a C. diff infection – fever, abdominal pain, nausea or loose or watery diarrhea – you should notify your doctor immediately. Ironically, one cure for C. diff is antibiotics, so make sure your doctor is aware of any medications you might have been taking before you developed the infection, so that they do not counteract with whatever he or she prescribes.
We encourage you to review the Consumer Reports list of Maryland hospitals to see which has the best records for preventing and treating infections. If you develop an HAI because of a negligent or inattentive medical professional, you may have options for recovering compensation depending on your circumstances. Please contact Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. to learn more about your rights from an experienced Maryland medical malpractice lawyer.
Bruce Plaxen was honored as the 2009 Maryland Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Maryland Association for Justice. For more information on his legal background, please visit his attorney bio.