How electronic hand hygiene monitoring improves HAI prevention
By BioVigil No patient should acquire an infection because of care received in the hospital or long-term care facility. Unfortunately, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the most common complication of hospital care, and a leading cause of death in the U.S. And yet, one of the most reliable ways to prevent HAIs is quite simple – … Continued
Anticipating OSHA’s Healthcare Rulemakings
OSHA has been developing three industry-specific rulemakings that could significantly impact healthcare industry compliance. By the end of the year, the industry could see one new final regulation and two proposed rules.
How to Improve Antibiotics Stewardship for Pediatric Patients
Antibiotic stewardship has several benefits, including lowering cost of care, reducing medication side effects, and addressing antimicrobial resistance. For pediatric patients, most antibiotics are prescribed in the outpatient setting.
Leapfrog Report Shows Improved Hand Hygiene in U.S. Hospitals
Leapfrog, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, last week released its 2024 Hand Hygiene Report. Leapfrog found that hospitals have made significant progress in hand hygiene practices thanks to increased leadership involvement and adoption of electronic hand hygiene monitoring systems.
CMOs Should be Addressing Antimicrobial Resistant Pathogens
The spike in antimicrobial resistant pathogens was likely caused by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the CDC. Drivers of the spike include longer lengths of stay, disruption of infection prevention practices, and increased inappropriate antibiotic use, the CDC says.
Looking to Policy to Prepare for the Next Outbreak
With outbreaks of measles and bird flu making headlines, now is a great time for healthcare organizations to take a hard look at preparedness and identify risk areas to help better understand transmission and take steps to make sure they can identify and appropriately manage these and other contagious diseases.
AI-Driven Diagnostic Tool Reduces Sepsis Deaths by 20% at Louisiana Hospital
Sepsis is the body’s extreme reaction to an infection that can result in tissue damage and organ failure. Annually in the United States, there are at least 1.7 million adult hospitalizations for sepsis and at least 350,000 deaths from the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How Providence Reduced Sepsis Deaths 3 Years in a Row
The health system has more than doubled use of a standardized order set for sepsis patients. The primary elements are blood work and tests used to diagnose sepsis, administration of antibiotics, intravenous fluid resuscitation, and management of hypotension. Providence now uses the order set for 76% of patients presenting with sepsis and hopes to raise that rate to 80%.
IU Health has Reduced Healthcare-Associated Infections by Nearly 50%
Healthcare-associated infections are a key element of patient safety, which is a top concern for CMOs. Health system and hospital CMOs can learn from IU Health’s success in reducing healthcare-associated infections.
RWJBarnabas Initiatives Reduce Hospital Mortality Rate by 20%
Several initiatives at RWJBarnabas Health over the past two years have led to a significant reduction in the hospital mortality rate. Coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, leadership at the West Orange, N.J.-based health system realized there was room to improve the mortality rate at their 12 acute care hospitals.