Lexington conference focuses on hospital-acquired health conditions

[BridgeTheGap]

A health conference in Lexington on Friday will focus on the threats of hospital-acquired health conditions and efforts to prevent them.

Speakers will include leading health officials and researchers, plus former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders and actress Alicia Cole, whose performing career was interrupted by an attack of necrotizing fasciitis, the so-called flesh-eating bacteria, which Cole contracted during a hospital stay.

The fourth annual Conference for Healthcare Transparency & Patient Advocacy will be 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at Lexington's Embassy Suites. Sponsors include Health Watch USA, a Kentucky-based health advocacy group; Consumers Union; and the Pulaski County Medical Society. Registrations are still being accepted.

Dr. Kevin Kavanagh, conference coordinator, said all the meeting's speakers will talk on issues related to combating hospital-acquired infections, a growing health-care problem that has grabbed the national limelight.

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/11/18/1529497/lexington-conference-focuses-on.html#ixzz15dt6zIem

[bemildred]

1. Yep, you go in the hospital, you take your life in your hands. nt

[evirus]

2. Thats not helpful.

don't use emotions as a substitute for facts. sure hospitals by their vary nature have a high likelihood of spreading certain illnesses, but thankfully the conference will actually look at how to improve things, as opposed to spouting one liners that are at best not helpful, and at worse detrimental to people who DO need to go to a hospital but are convinced not to because of your misplaced mis-constructed opinion.

[BuddhaGirl]

3. +1

close friend nearly died from an infection he picked up after simple ankle surgery. This was months ago and he's STILL not back at 100% :-(

[EvolveOrConvolve]

4. I had ankle surgery years ago without any issues

There, we're even on the anecdotes - your turn!

(isn't this anecdotal stuff great?)

[trotsky]

5. My coworker's uncle's best friend's fiance's niece...

had angle surgery and turned into a newt!

SO THERE!

[BuddhaGirl]

7. just be grateful you had no complications

you're lucky - unlike my friend. 7 months past his surgery and he's still not completely healthy.

[bemildred]

6. Yep, happens all the time.

Got my brother twice, a year apart, ex-sister-in-law this year. Didn't used to be that way either, people didn't worry much about getting infected in the hospital 40 years ago, it happened, but it was rare. Now it's not rare. Of course people in the hospital ARE sick. But you ought to think about it before you check in, it's not a decision without negative possibilities, not to mention the expense.