The Six C’s of CAUTI Prevention
Staff-driven bundles, judicious culturing lead to huge CAUTI decreases. As hospitals prepare for more rigorous Joint Commission standard, Mayo Clinic shows how regimented approach can reduce rates by as much as 70%. In early 2014, the medical intensive care unit at the Mayo Clinic Hospital contributed 25% of the facility’s catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). … Continued
Perioperative Pressure Injuries: Protocols and Evidence-Based Programs for Reducing Risk
By Susan M. Scott, BSN, MSN, RN, WOC Over the past five years, the incidence of perioperative hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI) has increased (Chen, Chen, & Wu, 2012), causing patients pain and suffering and costing the U.S. healthcare system $11 billion per year (Brem et al., 2010). Pressure injuries (previously referred to as pressure ulcers) … Continued
Study: Culture of Safety Scores Have No Impact on Catheter Infections
Many hospitals have focused on improving the culture of safety in their institution through a patient safety culture survey provided to staff members.
Using Analytics to Combat Sepsis
By Paula Brown The pattern is clear: One of the biggest risks to patient safety in hospitals, skilled nursing, and other medical facilities is sepsis. Every year, 750,000 Americans are diagnosed with the condition, leading to complications such as renal failure and cognitive decline; of that number, 220,000 will die (Scutti, 2014). According to the … Continued
How Ohio Hospitals Are Tackling Sepsis
Last year Ohio’s hospitals began a campaign to reduce sepsis encounters and related deaths by 30% by 2018. Nine months into the initiative, the OHA is reporting an 8% reduction in mortality.
CMS Proposes Making Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Mandatory
Last week, CMS published a list of proposed rule changes for hospitals and laboratories. One of the more notable proposals would make antibiotic stewardship programs (ASP) mandatory. ASPs are considered a way to prevent antibiotic misuse and the spread of drug-resistant disease.
“We propose to change the introductory paragraph (in Infection Control Condition of Participation §482.42) to require that a hospital’s infection prevention and control of antibiotic stewardship programs be active and hospital wide for the surveillance, prevention, and control of HAIs and other infectious diseases, and for the optimization of antibiotic use through stewardship,” according to the proposed rule.
CDC’s Core Elements of Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs
Just over a year after President Barack Obama issued an executive order calling for federal agencies to combat antibiotic resistance, The Joint Commission has released proposed standards that would require a broad range of healthcare providers to implement a structured, evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship program.
Olympus Recalls Duodenoscopes, FDA Approves New Model
Olympus Corp., the largest seller of duodenoscopes in the U.S., last week recalled all of its TJF-Q180V model scopes. The move came just one day after a Senate committee report linked Olympus products to 142 antibiotic-resistant infection (ARI) cases. Duodenoscopes are flexible cameras inserted into a patient’s mouth or digestive tract to diagnose a number … Continued
C.diff Infection Raises Hospital Costs by 40% per Case
By Alexandra Pecci, for HealthLeaders Media
Treating Clostridium difficile adds about $7,285 in hospital costs per patient, not including readmissions, research finds.
It can be difficult to quantify the exact economic burden of C. diff on hospitals and the health system as a whole. But a recent study puts a dollar amount on the cost of C. diff, that number is not only big, but also likely underestimated.
Published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the study found that C. diff-associated diarrhea (CDAD) increases hospital costs by 40% per case and puts those infected at high risk for longer hospital stays and readmissions.
Is Your Facility Bugged?
There are bugs and then there are bugs. Hospitals have long fought against the invisible bugs, bacteria and viruses, but they often overlook the larger kinds such as flies and bedbugs. Environmental services must keep both in mind as they strive to make a facility safe. To maintain the best environment for patient and staff … Continued