Kaivac Cleaning Challenge: Take the Hospital Infections Quiz

Every year, thousands of people around the world enter hospitals because they are sick, but instead of getting better, many get sicker. This is not necessarily because dedicated nurses and staff were not able to help them.

In fact, in many cases, it is just the opposite. Patients are cured of the disease that brought them into the hospital. The problem is they have acquired a new infection, called a nosocomial disease, from staying in the hospital.

Because proper cleaning can help minimize nosocomial diseases and help keep people healthy, Kaivac, developers of the No-Touch Cleaning® system, suggests we all take the following quiz to learn more about this serious problem (answers are below):

1. About how many extra days does a patient have to stay in the hospital if he or she has acquired a nosocomial disease?

A. Five days
B. Ten days
C. Twenty days
D. None, usually the patient can go home

2. How much does it cost to treat a nosocomial disease?

A. About $5,000
B. About $20,000
C. About $40,000
D. Less than $5,000

3. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates, how many people in the United States die each year from a nosocomial disease?

A. About 500
B. About 5,000
C. Close to 100,000
D. More than 100,000

4. The main way nosocomial diseases are spread is the following:

A. Lack of proper hand washing
B. Improper use or removal of gloves
C. Lack of or improper surface sanitation
D. All of the above

5. What percentage of nosocomial diseases are preventable?

A. At least 20 percent
B. More than half
C. As much as 70 percent
D. All

Answers

1. C. Twenty days
2. C. $40,000 (Note: Often the hospital must absorb these costs; in many cases, insurance companies and government will no longer pay them)
3. C. Close to $100,000
4. D. All of the above
5. C. As much as 70

*The Kaivac Cleaning Challenge is an ongoing service by Kaivac, Inc., designed to help cleaning professionals maintain facilities so that they are cleaner, healthier, with minimal impact on the environment.