Observe the hospital. Is it clean? Is it cluttered? Can you see dust on the floors? “Ask yourself, ‘Does it appear to be a safe hospital?’ " says Nina Shik, R.N., an infection-control professional at the University of Kansas Hospital.
Talk to your doctor. Some procedures and conditions, like uncontrollable diabetes, are more prone to infection than others. Find out where you stand and ask your doctor what steps will be taken to reduce your risk.
Make sure those hands are washed. “If we could do one thing to prevent hospital-associated infections, it would be to improve hand hygiene among health-care workers,” says Dr. John Jernigan of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So make sure every health-care worker washes her hands—or uses an antibacterial gel—before examining you. Otherwise you could end up right back in the hospital.
