One in 25 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC offers these recommendations to help minimize your risk:
1. Keep hands clean: Be sure everyone who comes in contact with you washes their hands with soap.
2. Know the signs of infection: Some skin infections, such as MRSA, appear as redness, pain or drainage at an IV catheter site or surgery site. Often these symptoms come with a fever. Tell your doctor if you have these symptoms.
3. Watch out for diarrhea. Tell your doctor if you have three or more diarrhea episodes in 24 hours, especially if you’ve been taking an antibiotic. —MK
