Infection Control Facts

*As many as 25 million Americans suffer from bladder control problems.
*50% of nursing home residents are incontinent.
*Treating incontinence costs the nation $30 billion a year. 1
*Nosocomial urinary tract infections account for 40% of hospital acquired
infections, with annual treatment costs exceeding $1.8 billion. 2
*30% of people 65 and over fall each year, resulting in over 340,000 hip fractures in the US each year.
*At $35,000 per hip fracture, over $20 billion is spent on fall related injuries each year.

1 National Association for Continence
2 Burke, JP: Noscomial urinary tract infections. In Wenzel RP; editor:Prevention and
control of noscomial infection, ed 2, Baltimore, 1993, Williams & Wilkins.
3 Jech, A.O. (2000). "A Health Crisis for the Elderly. Taking a Tumble." Nurseweek, 13(13):20.

*MRSA and VRE bacteria can live on a non-porous surface for
up to 8 weeks!
*Spilled urine can cause patients and staff to slip and fall,
contributing to an average of $20 billion dollars spent on fall
related injuries each year.