Jack Welch, Discitis and “staph injections…”

[Harrison]

It’s tempting to blame health care workers when things like this are seen in the news. But the reality is that bugs like staph are everywhere: on you, the patient (on your skin), even inside your body on even on your artificial device (like your artificial disc, or on a prosthetic shoulder). So be careful about the conclusions you make when you read articles like this. If nothing else, think twice….or three times…about steroid injections for your back (et al) pain.

Did the pain med doctor wear gloves? Was the staph on the needle as Jack Welch asserts? Probability and facts suggest that it was already on his skin. The reality is that staph (and a zillion other microbes) are literally every where. So pointing the finger becomes a big problem, with the patient wondering where the pieces of the puzzle are -- and how many pieces are left to complete the blurry picture!

That said, there is much more work that health care professionals must do to prevent this kind of event from occurring in the hospital environment. Most clinics are working on it, but there are still a surprising number of places that don’t have current quality & infection control procedures in place. As a patient, ask questions!

Jeez, if it can happen to Jack, I suppose it can happen to anyone. And it does.

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Jack Welch talks about his health scare

The legendary CEO leaves the hospital after a three-month stay.