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Infection Control Keeps Bad Germs from Good People

Talking about bacteria in a hospital is a little like yelling, “Fire!” in a crowded theater. But Patty Ham, MS, RN, will be the first to tell you that germs aren’t always bad.

Ham is a member of the infection control team at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, so it’s her business to know. “Bacteria are necessary for our survival,” says Ham. “Friendly” bacteria help our blood clot, aid digestion, and help the body absorb nutrients, among other things. “But when [they] get in places where [they] shouldn’t be—like a sterile body site—that can create a problem.”

KEEPING PATIENTS SAFE

At OSF Saint Francis, the infection control team works to prevent patients from developing infections in the hospital. If a patient is admitted with an infection, team members try to keep it from spreading. Infection control has always been important at hospitals, Ham says, but it is a hot topic now because drugresistant infections are more common.

One of the most talked-about germs is MRSA—short for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It’s a type of bacteria that causes staph infections that may be hard to treat with antibiotics. Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most often in healthcare facilities where people have weakened immune systems. But it’s also become more common for people to develop MRSA infections outside the hospital.

WINNING THE WAR AGAINST GERMS

OSF Saint Francis works aggressively on infection prevention. Hand washing is central in its war on germs. The staff follows strict guidelines for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia, a serious complication in critically ill patients who use a ventilator to breathe. And great care is taken to ensure that the correct antibiotics are given to surgical patients at the right time—when they are most vulnerable to infection, says Ham.