HAIs

Hybrid simulation models have a lot of potential to unlock the best approaches to combat healthcare-acquired infections.

Sarah Baron, MD, authored a study on asymptomatic C. diff carriers.

An increase in prevalence in healthcare settings across the continuum of care over several decades has resulted in MRSA and other multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) being given priority as targets of reduction efforts by several regulatory and advisory bodies. These include the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

An increase in prevalence in healthcare settings across the continuum of care over several decades has resulted in MRSA and other multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) being given priority as targets of reduction efforts by several regulatory and advisory bodies. These include the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Stewardship and scopes are just two issues that are top of mind for stakeholders in infection prevention and healthcare epidemiology for the new year. Let's explore the imperatives, as suggested by leaders in the infection prevention and control community.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the number one most costly hospital acquired infection (HAI).

One of the primary ways physicians diagnose urinary tract infections is with a test that detects bacteria in urine. A new enhanced test, developed at Loyola University Chicago, detects significantly more bacteria than the standard test, according to a study presented at a meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans.

With the U.S. healthcare reform mandate for increasing transparency and improved quality, the need for infection prevention and control in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is becoming more critical than ever before for the more than 3 million Americans receiving geriatric care in U.S. annually. Consider these facts regarding infection in long-term care: • An estimated 1.6 million to 3.8 million infections occur in long-term care facilities each year. • More than 1.5 million people live in 16,000 nursing homes in the United States. Estimates suggest infections could result in as many as 380,000 deaths among those residents each year.  • The nursing home population is expected to increase to about 5.3 million people by 2030.

Policies relating to newly emerging and highly infectious diseases in outpatient healthcare settings within the context of infection prevention and control are highly variable, according to public health experts, leaving many gaps in patient protection from healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). For example, only a minority of outpatient facilities are certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and few are licensed by states or maintain accreditation status. As a result, many of these facilities are opened and operated without being held to minimum safety standards for infection control or other aspects of patient care, potentially putting patients at risk. In an October 2015 document, Outpatient Settings Policy Options for Improving Infection Prevention, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) outlined four key elements for states and their supporting HAI multidisciplinary advisory groups who are interested in more effective and proactive oversight of out-patient facilities: facility licensing/accreditation requirements; provider-level training, licensing and certification; reporting requirements; and establishment and effective application of investigation authorities.