Infection Control Today Magazine

Long-Term Care

ED Visits Result in Infections for Elderly LTC Residents

Elderly patients who have visited an emergency department (ED) are three times more likely to develop respiratory or gastrointestinal infections in the week following their return to a long-term care facility, such as a Centre d'Hébergement de Soins de Longue Durée (CHLSD). ...More
3 weeks ago
Posted in News
Influenza-Like Illnesses in Nursing Homes Requires Implementation of Structured Prevention Programs

Pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections are the second most common infections among nursing home residents and the leading cause of death from infections in the long-term care setting. The reported number of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) and ...More
December 1, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
UTI Treatment in Nursing Homes Lacks Documented Efficacy, Researchers Say

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) -- including upper and lower symptomatic -- are the most common infections in nursing homes and prevention may reduce patient suffering, antibiotic use and resistance; however, researchers say agents used in preventing UTIs in nursing homes ...More
November 2, 2011
Posted in News
Nursing Home Flu Shots Fall Short, Especially for Blacks

At the beginning of the 2011-12 flu season, a new study finds that the proportion of nursing home patients who get a shot remains lower than a national public health goal and that the rate is lower for blacks than for whites. The disparity persists even within individual ...More
October 5, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Prevention of Bedsores in LTC Homes is Cost-Effective, Study Shows

For all long-term care residents, pressure reduction foam mattresses were cost-effective 82 percent of the time compared to standard mattresses, with average savings of $115 per resident, the researchers showed. Foam cleansers for incontinence care would be cost-effective ...More
September 26, 2011
Posted in News
Flu Vaccines for Nursing Home Workers Effective in Reducing Outbreaks

Higher flu vaccination rates for healthcare personnel can dramatically reduce the threat of flu outbreak among nursing home residents, according to a study published in the October issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. The study, which focused on nursing ...More
September 12, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Hand Hygiene Knowledge Lacking Among Healthcare Workers in Long-Term Care

Researchers from the Ghent University Hospital in Ghent, Belgium report on their study of hand hygiene knowledge among healthcare workers in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The researchers developed a questionnaire based on campaign material that was distributed by the ...More
August 9, 2011
Posted in News, Hand Hygiene, PPE & Standard Precautions
Infection Prevention in Outpatient, LTC Facilities

As healthcare delivery evolves, institutions and systems are expanding their campuses to include ambulatory and long-term care facilities. And for infection preventionists working in stand-alone facilities, they must stay up to date on infection prevention imperatives. ...More
July 19, 2011
Posted in Articles, Infections & Pathogens
Risk Factors for Norovirus in the Institutionalized Elderly

Most of the institutional outbreaks of norovirus in Hong Kong occur in elderly homes, the proportion being 69 percent in 2006. Residents in elderly homes are a special population seriously affected by norovirus infections, it is necessary to investigate the risk factors of ...More
May 18, 2011
Posted in News
Study Reveals Infection Control Violations at 15 Percent of U.S. Nursing Homes

Fifteen percent of U.S. nursing homes receive deficiency citations for infection control per year, according to a new study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection ...More
May 4, 2011
Posted in News