The consequences of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) include souring social relationships, and leading some healthcare providers to distance themselves from affected patients, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website.
In a review in the American Journal of Infection Control, researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland looked at 17 studies from five countries addressing five common types of HAIs, focusing on patient experiences.
According to the review, many patients experienced an emotional response to their diagnosis and described “feeling dirty,” “having the plague,” or “feeling like a leper.”
Patients with nearly all infection types reported a fear of transmitting their infection to others, which affected their personal and workplace relationships.
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