WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Largely preventable medical injuries and infections kill 32,000 Americans annually after hospital stays, USA Today reported.
A study by the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, found injuries resulting from human error require 2.4 million extra days in the hospital and $9.3 billion in extra charges for longer stays and more care.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined the records of 994 hospitals in 28 states, a sample of about 20 percent of the nation's hospitals.
The No. 1 problem the researchers found was potentially deadly infections of the bloodstream that can add an extra 11 days in the hospital and $58,000 to the hospital bill.
Reopening of a wound after surgery, often because of an infection caused by staff members not washing hands or instruments properly, can add 10 extra days in the hospital and add $40,000 to the bill.
Nancy Foster of the American Hospital Association told USA Today in many cases infections occur even though "staff members have followed state-of-the-art infection control."
