How many patients die each year in the U.S. due to preventable errors?

Startling Statistics

"According to the CDC, in American hospitals alone, hospital-acquired infections account for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated deaths each year" http://www.cdc.gov/hai

"Between 5 and 10 percent of the patients who are admitted to U.S. acute-care hospitals acquire one or more infections there" http://www.consumerreports.org/

"According to the CDC, there are an estimated 1.7 million hospital-acquired infections each year which result in approximately 90,000 deaths. A recent study in Emerging Infectious Diseases found that hospital-acquired infections are the sixth leading cause of death nationally, costing the health care industry $6 billion annually." http://www.businesswire.com

"An average of 195,000 people in the USA died due to potentially preventable, in-hospital medical errors in each of the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, according to a study of 37 million patient records that was released by HealthGrades." http://www.healthgrades.com/

"A CDC study published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- one of several superbugs -- is much more prevalent than previously thought. The study found MRSA cases tripled in the United States between 2000 and 2005, and estimated 94,360 people are infected and 18,650 die annually, killing more people annually than HIV" http://www.cdc.gov/hai

"Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study reported 52 percent of doctors did not clean their hands between patients. A study found a doctor's lab coat picked up MRSA bacteria 65 percent of the time when leaning over an infected patient. In a 2006 study, 77 percent of blood pressure cuffs on rolling carts were contaminated with MRSA." http://www.cdc.gov/hai

"According to the Centers for Disease Control, recent studies place hand hygiene adherence in hospitals at between 29 percent and 48 percent." http://www.cdc.gov/hai

After reading all of the statistics it is very scary to learn that going to a healthcare setting could potentially cost you your life. As a health care employee I see healthcare personnel disregard safety/infection protocol regarding patient care. One my ask why do healthcare personnel not follow such important lifesaving protocols???

Discussion Question: Why do healthcare personnel disregard safety/infection protocols?