Risk of Infection High at Outpatient Surgical Centers in Norfolk & Virginia

When you enter an outpatient surgical center in Norfolk or another part of Virginia, you expect to go home with your condition improved, even if you have to take a little time for recovery.  Although concerns regarding infection control have been more commonly associated with hospitals in the past, a recent study conducted by researchers at the CDC revealed that the spread of infection is a frequently occurring risk in outpatient surgical centers (according to the Wall Street Journal).  In the surveying of 68 ambulatory surgical centers from three states, CDC researchers found that 68% of the facilities failed to meet guidelines in at least one of five areas (among them were injection safety, hand hygiene, and practices in environmental cleaning).  Lapses in at least three areas occurred at 18% of the centers.  Twenty-eight percent of the facilities were found administering medications in single-dose vials to more than one patient.  As a result, 39 of the 68 outpatient centers received state citations for deficiences in infection control, and 20 of them were cited for lapses in medication administration.

With over 75% of operations performed on an outpatient basis, more and more patients are at-risk of infections at surgical centers in Hampton Roads and other parts of Virginia.  If you or a family member sustained an infection during surgery, at a hospital, or in another medical facility, you may be able to file a Virginia medical malpractice claim if your infection caused a permanent illness or condition.  For more information on Virginia or Norfolk medical malpractice and free answers to your pressing questions, contact Norfolk and Eastern Shore medical malpractice attorney Lawrence Land online or toll-free at 800-800-1911.