Computerized medication-entry systems have been developed, but fewer than 2 percent of hospitals require physicians to use them. Check with the nurse each time a medicine is brought to you or designate a friend or family member to do it for you. Just because it's written on your chart doesn't mean you won't get it. Make sure your provider wears gloves before handling your catheter or IV and cleans his or her hands before coming in contact with you, says Julie Gerberding, M.D., director of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ask your provider if you really need a catheter.
Bladder catheters are the main cause of hospital infections.
Although initially sterile, they pass through nonsterile parts of the body during insertion. And the longer they stay in, the greater a patient's risk. Ask who will oversee any resident who will be performing an operation. M.D. Make sure your surgeon knows which operation you're scheduled for. Obviously, this method won't work for every surgery, so always review your procedure with the doctor or surgical nurse.