Hospital gown disposal procedure helps reduce MRSA cases

A simple new gown disposal procedure can dramatically reduce infection rates in hospitals, according new research findings presented at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology over the weekend. 

The research found that MRSA infection rates dropped by 62 percent when hospital gowns were balled up and stuffed into disposable gloves, Reuters reports. Jasper Palmer, a patient advocate and escort at the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia pioneered the new safety procedure. Einstein's chief quality officer, Dr. Jeff Cohn, followed up to see how effective it would be to combat MRSA. The glove effectively seals used hospital gowns and prevents germs from spreading.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 94,000 patients contract MRSA annually and nearly 19,000 die. Treating these patients costs between $3 and $4 billion a year, according to an estimate by Dr. Larry Liu of Pfizer.

For more information:
- check out this Reuters article

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