Phone: (516) 487-8207
Outpatient facilities, such as cancer clinics, are not as heavily regulated as hospitals are. In response to high numbers of infections across the nation's cancer clinics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is launching an effort to slow the trend.
The campaign began in July, when the CDC published a guide for infection prevention for independent and specialized clinics. This week, the CDC began promoting guidelines for proper medical hygiene. The rules will only be adopted voluntarily. Another website has also been set up for patients to access information about infection prevention.
The guidelines recommend each needle, syringe, saline-solution bag and medication vial to be used once per patient, and not to be used for any other patients. But too many health care professionals do not follow this standard. A study last year found that 6% share vials among patients, 15% share syringes, and almost 50% save vials for other patients.
In contrast to a recent study on decreasing hospital infections after the adoption of prevention strategies, over 125,000 people have been potentially exposed to disease through poor infection procedures in cancer clinics. One now-closed facility in particular is known to have induced 29 cases of hepatitis B thanks to improper sterilization techniques. 2700 patients were at risk overall. Cancer patients are at a high risk of infection because of their weak immune system. Almost 60,000 cancer patients are hospitalized for infections each year.
MORE INFO:
If you would like more information about how medical malpractice and accident cases work in the state of New York, I encourage you to explore my educational website. If you have legal questions, I urge you to pick up the phone and call me at 516-487-8207 or by e-mail at lawmed10@yahoo.com to answer your questions. That's what I do every day. I welcome your call.
Read More About CDC fights for safer Cancer Centers...
