Hospitals aren't anywhere near as clean and safe as they should be, according to an investigation by Consumer Reports.

It's long been known that hospital infections are a major health hazard. According to the Center for Disease Control, roughly 75,000 Americans die every year from infections acquired at hospitals, more than double the number who die in car accidents.

More than a third of those deaths—27,000—are attributed to a deadly superbug, Clostridium difficile (C. diff). Another 8,000 die from methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Consumer Reports tracked the prevalence of these two common infections, which have experienced dramatic growth due to the overuse of antibiotics.

"High rates for MRSA and C. diff can be a red flag that a hospital isn't following the best practices in preventing infections and prescribing antibiotics," said Doris Peter, Ph.D., director of Consumer Reports' Health Ratings Center. "The data show it is possible to keep infection rates down and in some cases avoid them altogether."

The report assigned scores to hospitals based on their infection history. Nationally, 322 hospitals were able to go a year without any MRSA incidents, while 357 avoided C. diff entirely.

A number of world-renowned hospitals received bad marks for infection control, including Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

To help reduce infection rates, Consumer Reports made the following suggestions:

Consistently follow established protocols for managing superbug infections, such as ensuring that all staff use gowns, masks, gloves, and other protections appropriately.
Being held financially accountable, including covering all costs for treating infections patients pick up during their stay, even costs after discharge.
Have an antibiotic stewardship program. That should include mandatory reporting of antibiotic use to the CDC.
Accurately report how many infections patients get in the hospital. And, the government should validate those reports.
Promptly report outbreaks to patients, as well as to state and federal health authorities. Those agencies should inform the public so that patients know the risks before they check in.

Tips to help patients prevent infections include:

Question the use of antibiotics. Talk to doctors about only using antibiotics when necessary and, when needed, prescribing drugs that are appropriate for their specific infection.
Insist on a clean hospital room. If it looks dirty, ask for it to be cleaned. Patients should ask anyone entering their hospital room to wash his or her hands.

Instant Insights /

Consumer Reports ranks U.S. hospitals based on infection levels

More From HR Executive

Related Stories

Recommended For You