Today's Hospitals: Innovations in Technology and Medical Care Part IV

Here's the last part of my topic : Today's Hospitals: Innovations in Technology.

Thanks for taking time in reading my posts. Your comments are welcome :)

 

Hospital Food is Getting Healthier

The hospital menus can be laden with high-fat comfort foods. There are some medical institutions that have even invited fast-food franchises to set up a stall on hospital premises. But today hospitals are becoming more positioned as models of healthy eating for patients and for employees. Diabetes-friendly, Heart-healthy and vegetarian selections are increasingly common. They also promote organic, and locally produce foods.

 

Patient Advocates Can Also Help

Consumer groups say your hospital stay will be safer and comfortable if there is another person there in your room to watch out for you and will be the one to ask questions on your behalf. Most often families assign and ask relatives or close friends to serve as patient advocates.

 

Patient Advocate's Strengths

Patient Advocates should be able to help you carry off your care, ask questions, express concerns on your behalf, and will be the one to do the research and keep track of your treatment options and medicines. Advocates are most helpful when they raise their concerns with a healthy dose of kindness and respect. There are families who hire professional patient advocates. Sometimes hospitals have patient advocates on staff already that will help you.

 

Quality of the Hospital Goes Public

There are some organizations that make hospital information public so that you can check out the hospitals' quality at anytime you want.There are several ways to find hospital information , including The Joint Commission's "Quality Check" program, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' "Hospital Compare" tool, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. There are also states that offer hospital quality websites.

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Today's Hospitals: Innovations in Technology and Medical Care Part III

 

Safety Awareness

When performing complex procedures, even experienced hospital staffs can miss a step. However, to avoid these some hospitals are adapting new methods used in aviation and the military to help them improve patient safety. "Situation awareness" training –It is knowing what's going on with patients at all times .This helps staff in avoiding complications and reduce infection rates. Using checklists and time-outs for final verification before the start of every surgery reduces errors, too.

 

Fight against Infections

 

Hospitals are considered a place of healing. But 99,000 patients are estimated to die each year from dangerous infections acquired during their stay in the hospitals. These mainly include infections of the bloodstream, uti, and surgical sites. But here is the good news: Some hospital-acquired infection rates are dropping, like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which declined 28% from 2005 to 2008. The reasons for the drop include increased alertness, improved hand-washing hygiene, and other MRSA-prevention steps. 

Fighting Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

There are at least 50,000 of patients a year that dies from pulmonary embolism. This is a very dangerous condition to where blood clots most often in the legs travel to the lungs, where they cut off blood flow. The risk factors for DVT or Deep Vein Thrombosis include surgeries and bed rest which is most common for hospital patients. Hospitals reduce this complication through the use of faster treatment and anti-clot medications before surgery, and by encouraging patients to move around after surgery. There are devices like the screening tools, compression stockings that helps the patients recovery. 

Specialty Hospitals Offering Options

There are already hospitals that has its specializations of surgeries, such as heart or spine surgery. Specialty hospitals often uses the very latest resources for their work. So more focused care also can mean acquiring quality care at lower costs.