Expect More Scrutiny on Hand Hygiene
Now, if a Joint Commission surveyor sees anyone who directly cares for patients fail to perform required hand hygiene, the healthcare organization (HCO) will get a Requirement for Improvement. The Joint Commission justified the change by saying HCOs have had more than enough time to train personnel on how to maintain hand hygiene.
Q&A: Antibiotic Stewardship
The following is an edited Q&A from the HCPro webcast “How to Establish an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.” Speaker Jennifer Pisano, MD, is medical director of the antimicrobial stewardship program at the University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences.
Study: 71% of Reusable Scopes Tested Positive for Bacteria
The study found problems in scopes used for routine operations such as colonoscopies and kidney stone removal.
Gutting HAIs: Ambitious Goals for 2020
The Department of Health and Human Services has given hospitals aggressive goals on HAI reduction. By 2020, the department wants CAUTI rates to be cut 50% in acute care hospitals, long-term care facilities, and ambulatory surgical centers.
Study: Recounting the Cost of CAUTIs
What you may not know is that CAUTIs cost hospitals far more than most think. While most say the average cost of treating a CAUTI is $1,000, that figure is likely too low. In some cases, it’s 10 times too low.
Denver Hospital Warns Surgical Patients of Infection Risk
The breach may have affected patients who underwent orthopedic or spine surgery between July 21, 2016 and February 20, 2018, according to a statement released by Larry Wolk, executive director and chief medical officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
CDC Warns of New Wave of Antibiotic-Resistant Germs in U.S.
These germs include those that cannot be killed by all or most antibiotics, are not common to a geographic area or the U.S., or have specific genes that enable them to spread their resistance to other germs, according to a CDC release.
Case Study: Hospitalwide Huddles Curb Catheter Infections at Saint Anthony
In just two years, the facility cut its hospital-acquired infection rate by 90% and saved itself $498,000. How did the facility make such tremendous strides in infection control? Short answer: daily interdisciplinary safety huddles (DISH).
Paper Highlights Link Between Infection Control and Antibiotic Stewardship
Healthcare facilities must ensure that infection prevention and control and antibiotic stewardship programs work together, according to a joint position paper released last week by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, and the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists.
Lawsuit Alleges Sewage Leak in DC Hospital’s OR Led to Patient Death
The lawsuit was filed by the husband of Carol Leonard, who died at the age of 70 from a postoperative infection sustained during what was supposed to be a routine procedure.