HAIs
The Infection Control Today® health care-acquired infections (HAIs) page presents updates on the latest techniques and strategies in the never-ending battle between infection preventionists and HAIs. Focusing on the latest in medical literature, we also present perspectives from the top infection preventionists and other medical experts in the country about how to put the growing knowledge of HAIs into use in the everyday world of infection prevention. Articles and videos often focus on methods to contain and control pathogens and multidrug-resistant organisms from spreading within the health care system.
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November 21st 2024
The Leapfrog Group enhances hospital safety by publicizing hand hygiene performance, improving patient safety outcomes, and significantly reducing health care-associated infections through transparent standards and monitoring initiatives.
November 4th 2024
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Building Momentum in Infection Prevention
June 16th 2014As many of you know, recent studies have shown that infection rates are lower than previously estimated. The “Multistate Point-Prevalence Survey of Health Care-Associated Infections” published in the March 27 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) found that on any given day, 1 in 25 inpatients in the U.S. have at least one healthcare-associated infection (HAI). In addition, about 75,000 patients who have an HAI will die during hospitalization. While the current estimates of infections are lower than previous estimates, it is hard to draw direct conclusions from these comparisons because of the differences in patient populations studied, changes in surveillance definitions of HAIs, and varied data collection methods. However, what is clear is that there is still much work to be done.
Two New Evidence-Based Steps for CLABSI Reduction
June 9th 2014The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Checklist for Prevention of Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infections (CLABSI) lists as its No. 1 task for clinicians: Perform daily audits as to whether each central line is still needed. However, if the daily audit is not done with a clear and current knowledge of what constitutes a valid indication for central venous access, and if that knowledge is not acted on promptly, what’s the point?
Perioperative Infection Prevention: Using Positive Deviance in the Pursuit of Excellence
April 14th 2014Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are preventable. Yet despite ongoing surveillance, rigorous protocols and well-researched policies, HAI’s still occur in one in twenty patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC notes that surgical site infections remain the most common HAI, affecting 1 in 50 patients.
Catheter Innovation Destroys Dangerous Biofilms
March 25th 2014For the millions of people forced to rely on a plastic tube to eliminate their urine, developing an infection is nearly a 100 percent guarantee after just four weeks. But with the help of a little bubble-blowing, biomedical engineers hope to bring relief to urethras everywhere.
