Category: Five
Live
Date: 23.07.2004
Printable version
Eight out
of 10 doctors believe the Government's plans to control the rise of
the MRSA* 'Superbug' will fail, whilst nearly two thirds (64%) would
be worried about the risk of infection if a member of their family was
admitted to hospital, according to a ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Five Live survey.
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Five Live announced the results of the survey, conducted
by medical website Doctors.net.uk, on the Worricker programme today
at 10.00am.
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82% of doctors working in NHS hospitals do not believe
the 'Superbug' MRSA infection rates will fall,
according to the survey, with a third of these predicting a continued
rise in the already high levels.
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The survey also suggests that 76% of doctors doubt hospitals
will be able to provide enough facilities to curb the spread of infection.
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And that nearly all doctors (94%) believe patients are
unaware of the full extent of MRSA infection in the NHS.
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The survey findings contrast with the confidence expressed
by those who feel that the levels of MRSA infection will fall as a result
of recent Government initiatives.
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Indeed 66% of the doctors surveyed believe waiting
lists are more important to the Government than solving the rising tide
of MRSA infection.
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The survey suggests that hospital managers are five
times as likely to have sent information to doctors about waiting list
targets than about MRSA infections.
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Doctors were surveyed between 14 and 17 July 2004 and
asked a series of questions about their personal experience of MRSA
in the hospitals in which they work.
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Only 18% of doctors think hospitals are any cleaner
than they were four years ago, with 20% saying hospitals have actually
got dirtier in that time, according to the survey.
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Dr Neil Bacon, founder of Doctors.net.uk and a practising
NHS specialist, said: "This survey confirms that MRSA is a huge
problem for patients and staff across the NHS.
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"Doctors feel strongly that the true scale of the
problem needs to be understood and accepted, if improvements are to
be made, and patients protected.
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"The response rate to this survey was one of the
fastest we have seen, highlighting how concerned doctors are about the
risk to their patients."
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Notes to Editors
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· *Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
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· Listen to ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio Five Live on AM, on digital
and online
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· Doctors.net.uk Limited (DNUK) was founded in
1998 by Dr Neil Bacon, an Oxford Specialist, to build an electronic
network for doctors that would help improve healthcare.
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www.Doctors.net.uk provides professional news, accredited
continuing medical education and a spam free email service.
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It has 101,000 UK doctors as members, including 31,000
GPs and 70,000 Hospital Specialists (in total about 85% of all UK doctors).
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In exchange for the free service doctors agree to take
part in marketing and market research campaigns run via their weekly
email bulletins.
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DNUK creates and builds communication campaigns for
pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, the
Department of Health, the General Medical Council and medical colleges
- providing them with targeted access direct to doctors.
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