Flowers, balloons, stuffed animals are among the get-well gifts that are no longer welcome in many hospitals working to reduce the risks of infection and allergic reactions, according to an article on the Wall Street Journal website.
Most intensive-care units have been no-flower/balloon zones for awhile. Now, some are extending limitations to cardiac-care, pediatrics, labor and delivery units.
Yet evidence linking flowers and plants to outbreaks of infection or illness in individual patients is minimal, infectious-disease experts say.
“This is one of the issues where there’s a paucity of evidence, and when that happens in infection control, one of our goals is always to keep the patient safe,” says Susan Dolan, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
How Efficiency Checklists Help Hospitals Save Energy, Water and Money
Intermountain Healthcare Receives $50M Gift for Standalone Children's Hospital
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Reports Data Breach via Third Party
Safety Synergy: Infection Prevention That Protects Patients and Workers
Prefabricated Wall Panels Speed UCF Lake Nona Medical Center Construction