Indian Health Services (IHS) hospital administrators have reported significant, interrelated challenges that hinder the quality of care at their facilities, according to an article on the Becker's Infection Control and Clinical Quality website.
Challenges facing IHS hospitals include aging infrastructures. Major renovation projects at the two oldest IHS hospitals have not been conducted in nearly eight decades.
According to the HHS report, a majority of IHS hospital administrators "reported that old or inadequate physical environments challenged their ability to provide quality care."
For example, the aging structure in one IHS hospital caused sewage to leak into the operating room after its old pipes corroded.
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