Hospitals highlight patient safety in new campaign

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California’s hospitals have a message for the public: They’re dedicated to safe patient care.

The California Hospital Assn. has launched a television and Internet campaign to focus attention on efforts by hospitals to prevent infections and improve medical outcomes.

“Hospitals across California are making huge strides in improving the quality of care by advancing a culture of safety,” said association President C. Duane Dauner. “Our campaign will highlight these efforts, as well as engage patients as our partners, with reminders about good safety practices that everyone should follow.”

The campaign features a one-minute television ad in which doctors and nurses talk about steps medical providers and the public can take to keep hospital patients from acquiring infections or other illnesses. Among the advice: Wash hands before and after contact with patients, and get vaccinations and flu shots.

The ad also appears on a website that includes several short descriptions of work by California hospitals to reduce infections, blood poisoning and patient falls.

The hospitals say they are trying to tackle an urgent medical problem. California health officials estimate that 12,000 people die each year of healthcare-related infections in hospitals.

Nationally, hospital-acquired illnesses contribute to an estimated 99,000 deaths every year and increase healthcare spending by as much as $33 billion annually, university and government researchers say.

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-- Duke Helfand