Have you or a loved one contracted a health care infection when you went in for surgery or other illness? We’d like to hear your story, or any other comment you may have about your hospital experience.
(Your personal information will remain completely confidential unless you give us permission to use or share it below.)
Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability, with respect to either your own experience or the experience of your loved one who contracted a hospital-acquired infection. Questions marked with an "*" must be answered, while other questions are optional. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Your personal experience can really help us stop hospital infections in the future!
This is not a scientific survey.
[1] Consumers Union Action Fund, Inc. ("CU Action Fund") is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. CU Action Fund is affiliated with Consumers Union of United States, Inc. ("CU"), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit testing and information organization serving consumers. CU Action Fund's purpose is to educate the public regarding consumer rights and consumer safety issues and to advocate policies, legislation and regulation that ensure a fair and safe marketplace for consumers, among other advocacy activities. CU Action Fund engages in (1) nonpartisan voter education activity; (2) increased lobbying activity to pass legislation in states and in Congress; (3) work on consumer oriented ballot measures; and (4) to a greater extent than CU, in member education about elections. If you would like to learn more about CU Action Fund, visit www.cuactionfund.org.
Here are the most recently published stories about hospital-acquired infections from people like you.
I had spinal decompression, laminectomy and 3 level lumbar fusion, performed by 2 neurosurgeons at the largest hospital in my state. Four days after discharge to my home 75 miles away, I started to have a fever and pus discharge from main incision. I was admitted to local hospital which did appropriate cultures, finding that I had M.R.S.A, a potentially deadly infection.
My pregnancy was completely normal and everything seemed perfect. Charlee was my husband’s only child and his pride and joy.
In November 2006, following a medical procedure, I came down with a 104 fever with an extreme headache. Informing the doctor of my symptoms, I was told I had probably caught a ‘flu bug’ and to wait it out until my post-op appointment two weeks later.
John McCleary, my father, was admitted to the hospital on September 26, 2008 with a minor fracture of his ankle. He was in that 25 bed hospital for 12 days for rehabilitation and discharged in good condition on October 5.
My father received the hip surgery in the beginning of November 2007. The doctor was only going to repair the old replaced hip. As it was, he replaced the hip and the doctor used shorter screws and the ball fell out, but the doctor and staff never brought my Dad to x-ray to follow up because he is old.
In February 2008, I had pain in my right flank area that lasted in the same spot all night. Thinking it could be a kidney stone, I went to the ER the next morning and they checked my urine and did a CT scan.
I had a cyst operation in April, 2008. I was given pre-op antibiotics. In May I started to feel horrible. I got a fever, was throwing up and had chronic diarrhea. I called my sister who is a nurse and she looked up my symptoms and told me she thought I had C-Diff. I had an appointment with the surgeon and told him what was happening. I also told him I thought I had C-Diff.
On November 22, 2007 my mother was rushed to the ER of a Pennsylvania hospital where she was diagnosed with a severe bacterial infection caused by Clostridium Difficile. She had been exhibiting symptoms of this infection for several days prior, which was left untreated. Her symptoms included persistent diarrhea, a high fever and abnormally high white blood cell count. After being diagnosed with this infection it was suggested that she undergo emergency surgery to remove the “infected and diseased†parts of her colon. It was explained to us that it was her only chance of survival. She underwent surgery the next morning. Unfortunately, the surgery was not successful in controlling the spread of the infection, as that it had infected other parts of her body. Sadly, she died from this infection the early morning of November 24, 2007.
After Michael Skolnik passed out in September 2001, his neurosurgeon told his parents that Michael needed to have brain surgery within two days. The three hour operation lasted six hours with no cyst ever being found. This marked the beginning of a 32-month nightmare of brain surgeries, infections, and more than $4,000,000 in medical bills.
In May of 2006 I was involved in a motorcycle accident and taken to a Sacramento hospital for treatment. I had sustained a fracture to my right ankle. When I left the hospital the wound would not heal. After taking lab tests it was determined that I had a staph infection that required a debridement surgery. (It turned out to be two surgeries).
The Safe Patient Project is a Consumers Union campaign focused on eliminating medical harm, improving FDA oversight of prescription drugs and promoting disclosure laws that give information to consumers about health care safety and quality.