Study Examines Difference in SSI Rates Using Sterile Versus Nonsterile Gloves
Outpatient cutaneous surgical procedures are common and surgical gloves are standard practice to prevent postoperative surgical site infection (SSI).
Outpatient cutaneous surgical procedures are common and surgical gloves are standard practice to prevent postoperative surgical site infection (SSI).
Guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS) provide recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
Patients treated in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) for severe neurological events such as stroke and aneurysm rupture, who require ventilator support, are at high risk of pulmonary and urinary infections that can lead to more seriou
A safety team at a Canadian hospital determined there was too much traffic in and out of the operating room (OR) during total joint replacement procedures. So they implemented several strategies to reduce traffic, which may have contribu
A systematic program for analyzing processes associated with catheter placement and removal for surgical patients decreased urinary tract infections (UTI) for all hospitalized patients.
In its first test among orthopedic surgery patients as a feasible tool for enhancing care and reducing surgical site infections (SSIs), an automated text and voice messaging system improved communication about the preventive steps patient
Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) – which account for 20 to 25 percent of hospital-acquired infections – should be treated with shorter courses of antibiotics than they typically are, according to
The reporting of any type of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is difficult. First, it indicates our patients have experienced a complication. Second, for an acute-care facility, we consistently have a low denominator; therefore any HAI has a significant impact on an infection rate that is publically reportable. This hospital was pleased to report an infection rate of zero for catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) for more than two years. Unfortunately, in 2015, three of our patients experienced a CAUTI which dramatically increased the reported infection rate and raised important concerns. Urinary tract infections are the most common type of HAI reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network, with more than 75 percent of those UTIs being catheter associated. The literature tells us that the impact of these infections includes increased length of stay, increased costs, unnecessary antimicrobial use, and is the leading cause of secondary bloodstream infections which results in increased mortality rates. Determining the cause for the increase in infections experienced at this facility and developing strategies to decrease these HAIs became a priority.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded $26 million to support applied research at five academic medical centers as part of a patient safety effort known as Prevention Epicenters Program.
Promoting the value of infection prevention programs and securing the resources necessary to ensure the continued viability of such programs has become an imperative for the infection preventionist (IP) in the era of healthcare reform and increased demands on IPs' time. A new guidance document aims to provide an updated assessment of the resources and requirements for an effective infection prevention and control/healthcare epidemiology (IPC/HE) program.