According to an article on MSNBC, even though it is a standing joke for medical residents, hospitals can be a terrible place for a sick person.
A large number of people (100,000+ according to the Center for Disease Control) end up with potentially deadly infections while they are in the hospital. Incisions which become infected are especially dangerous, as many of the germs in a hospital are more likely to be resistant to the antibiotics a doctor would use to treat them. To further complicate matters, “superbugs” (germs and diseases resistant to the drugs normally used to kill them) are cropping up in alarming numbers.
Worse still, an estimated 40,000 – 100,000 people die each year due to mistakes made by doctors or other healthcare staff. According to this article, “One big problem: Hospital patients may get the wrong drug ONE TIME OUT OF FIVE according to a study by Auburn University.” This means there is a 20% chance that you will be given the wrong medication if you are in the hospital!
These numbers are unacceptable!