Application of epidemiology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Application of epidemiology - Case Study Example of the infections that have occurred within the past year at the facility include the E Coli infection that infected 6 patients at the hospitals Ward 10. Records at the institution also show that there was infection of Fever, coughs and foul smelling urine in various other wards during the same year. Most of the patients who reported high fever were the patients in the intensive care unit but this lasted only a week before it the situation was stabilized. There were 3 patients at the ICU at that time, two males and a female and they recorded high temperatures from late at night till early morning.The other outbreak of these infections was in the pediatric ward, Ward 5 where there was a breakout of cough infections. At the time, the ward had 12 patients, 8 boys and 4 girls. The infection started with a small boy and within a week 7 other patients at the ward had already been put under cough medication. The situation was stabilized in two weeks as the records show this is when the coug h treatment stopped. The treatment of these infection results in an increased expenditure by the hospital. It is therefore important to determine who will bear the costs of this treatment, whether it is the patients, the hospital or if it will be shared by both of them. Even though the patients did not come to the facility with these diseases, they will have to be treated as soon as the symptoms are noticed. The patients can then decide not to pay the extra cost for this extra medication by claiming that the cost was due to negligence by the staff and therefore the cost of treatment lies with the hospital. The issue of whether the patients should be informed of these infections should also be discusses. This is because they might occur without the knowledge of the patients who might think it is just another infection related to their current situation. If they are made aware of these conditions they can sue the hospital for negligence, on the other hand if the patients become aware