Health Care Associated Infections and UK Screening Policy - Essay Example

Bacteria can survive in people without harming them like they can continue to exist on the skin or in the gut. Some HCAIs are caused by bacteria when they actually enter the body in the course of surgical treatments or wounds. Infections are normally cured by antibiotics. However, in certain circumstances, a number of bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics. This leads to complications in treatment of those infections. Antibiotics have the potential to supplement the natural ability to protect the body against bacterial infections.

Antibiotics protect the body from bacterial infections by killing bacteria (bactericidal) or by discontinuing the process of their multiplication (bacteriostatic). Bacteria adjust to antibiotics by attaining resistance genes. Bacteria with resistance genes are not affected by antibiotics and continue to survive and also keep multiplying other bacteria that are without resistance genes. The reasons for which bacteria get resistant to antibiotics are as follows. Excessive use of antibiotics increases the probability of bacteria to get resistant to them.

Antibiotics were being used to treat disease and illnesses that are not curable by them like flu and cold. In the recent years the recommendation for antibiotics has shown a declining trend by general physicians. Antibiotics courses are often left incomplete. People often leave the medications considering themselves fit, regardless of the doctors’ advised time period and dosages of antibiotics. This careless attitude and irresponsible act leaves bacteria alive and they continue to multiply, become resistant and are transmitted to others.

Once people stop using the prescribed antibiotics they use the extra amount for some other infection. This further worsens the situation as different antibiotics cure different infections. Self-medication does not benefit the patient of cost cutting but it costs them higher in the future. In addition the use of random antibiotics from the self