Report: Antibiotic Resistance More Prevalent in Device-Associated Infections
The report compiled data from more than 5,600 facilities from 2015 to 2017 and found that resistance was consistently higher for device-associated healthcare-acquired infections than for the same bacteria identified after surgical procedures. The devices studied were those used for a limited time in a hospital setting such as central lines, ventilators, and urinary catheters.
Indiana Hospital: Sterilization Issue Put 1,200 Patients at Risk of Infection
The hospital sent a letter to affected patients, announcing that one of the hospital’s seven surgical instrument sterilization technicians failed to complete one of the steps required in the sterilization process with certain instruments.
Use Data Transparency With IC Outcomes to Engage Staff
A non-intensive care nurse takes care of five or six patients at a time. Add a few discharges and admissions, and that nurse will touch more than 20 patients in a workweek. Infection prevention and quality department surveillance and data abstractions are usually deferred by some weeks.
CDC: Antibiotic-Resistant Infection Problem Is Worse Than Originally Thought
Since the original report six years ago, prevention efforts have reduced deaths from AR infections by 18% overall and nearly 30% in hospitals. But the increased number of infections in this new report was found by using previously unavailable data sources.
SHEA: More Research Needed on Antibiotic Use
Antibiotic stewardship programs have become powerful tools to address inappropriate antibiotic use, but they haven’t been used to their full potential yet, according to the paper’s authors.
APIC Study Finds Infection Control Certification Leads to Better Outcomes
Researchers at Columbia University School of Nursing conducted a national study of more than 800 nursing homes in 2018 to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic stewardship programs.
Improving the Patient Experience Starts in the Waiting Room
Waiting rooms can be a major contributor to infections, with patients waiting an average of 20 minutes before seeing a doctor, according to the Medical Group Management Association. In fact, the CDC reports that one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection on any given day.
PA Hospital Investigates Waterborne Bacteria as Cause of Three Infant Deaths
Geisinger is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the outbreak and ensure that the bacteria has been eliminated.
Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters Tied to Severe Allergic Reactions
Researchers from Alberta Health Services and the University of Calgary began the study after reports emerged of serious adverse events following PICC insertions, including hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis reactions.
Study: Most Healthcare Workers Ignore Policy, Work While Ill
Researchers conducted active surveillance at a 120-bed long-term care facility from December 2015 to April 2016 looking for respiratory viral infections among residents and healthcare providers.