Latest NY HAI Report Shows Mandatory Disclosure Saves Lives, Committee Says
Betsy McCaughey,PhD, founder and chair of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID), states, "The 2009 New York State Department of Health Hospital Acquired Infections Report (released Sept. 1, 2010) shows that mandatory disclosure saves lives by making hospitals work harder to prevent infections. Statewide rates decreased for nearly every type of infection measured. None increased."
The Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths urges New York state to include Clostridium difficile in future reports and pilot prevention programs. McCaughey notes, "This type of infection is raging through hospitals and may now be the most common hospital infection. The first line of defense is rigorous cleaning. C. diff spores contaminate many surfaces in hospitals. In at least 90 percent of C. diff cases, the patients give the infection to themselves by reaching out, touching contaminated surfaces around their bedside, then touching their lips or food and swallowing the germ. Placing a patient in an inadequately cleaned room previously occupied by a patient with C. diff can be a deadly decision, which is why effective cleaning with bleach is vitally important. How many patients think to ask, "who occupied this room before me?"
CDC Strategies Preventing Hospital-Onset C difficile Effectiveness Inconclusive in Testing
April 15th 2024Hospitals using CDC prevention strategies had different incidences of hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infection compared to those that didn't, but the reasons are not necessarily the strategies themselves.
Unlocking the Power of AI in Hospital Infection Prevention: A Sustainable Approach to HAIs
April 11th 2024Read on about how, as hospitals grapple with the costly burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a game-changer in revolutionizing infection prevention strategies.
Deeds to Reality: A Journey of Immigration and Obstacles With Carole W. Kamangu, MPH, RN, CIC
April 9th 2024Carole W. Kamangu, MPH, RN, CIC, shares her inspiring journey from the Democratic Republic of Congo to health care leadership in the US today. (This is the French translation of the interview with Carole W. Kamangu.)
