CHICAGO, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A non-profit group says hospitals that follow simple steps, such as washing hands and giving aspirin to heart attack victims, can save 100,000 lives a year.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement said 2,800 U.S. hospitals have joined its "100,000 Lives" campaign -- nearly double its goal of 1,500 hospitals.
In addition to saving lives, the techniques can reduce infections and shorten hospital stays, Haraden said of the nationwide effort that visited Chicago Wednesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Participation is voluntary and the institute does not monitor hospitals to make sure they use the proven techniques, which Haraden said doctors who are set in their ways are slow to adopt.
The program's other steps include activating a Rapid Response Team to handle emergencies, giving antibiotics to prevent surgical infections, keeping ventilator patients' heads raised to avoid pneumonia and documenting patient drugs.
