Picking up an infection while being hospitalized is common – and preventable. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a tough “super bug” that causes serious damage and suffering – or death. The Centers for Disease Control estimated in 2011 that 62,500 people developed MRSA during hospitalization, and 9,200 of those lost their lives.
Hospital-acquired MRSA doesn’t need to happen. Research found that not having enough nurses on duty in a hospital was a key factor in the spread of this dangerous infection.
–Overcrowding and Understaffing in Modern Health-care Systems: Key Determinants in Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Transmission
Archie Clements, et al., Lancent Infectious Disease, July 2008