HAIs

Infection prevention and control departments have responsibility and oversight for implementing and monitoring strategies that help reduce infection risk throughout healthcare facilities. Infection preventionists are often asked to weigh in on strategies that are unfamiliar to them. In the perioperative setting, a proven and effective approach in helping fight surgical site infections is maintaining normothermia.

ICT presents its 2011 survey results highlighting common infection control-related breaches in the operating room.

In late 2010, a global group called out sepsis for what it is: a medical emergency beyond national boarders. The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) which represents about 250,000 intensive and critical care physicians around the world is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers in every nation to treat sepsis as a medical priority.

One of the most critical skills an infection preventionist can have is the ability to construct a solid business case for infection prevention and control at his or her healthcare institution, especially in the age of dwindling resources and funding. Although the task may appear to be intimidating, at the core of this endeavor are several simple steps: use a healthcare-associated infection (HAI ) cost calculator tool to estimate the cost of infections in your facility; interpret the results of statistical models; build a customized business case and effectively present it to healthcare administrative leadership; create a compelling proposal to increase resources for infection prevention and control; and finally market these accomplishments and demonstrate value to all stakeholders.

Consistent implementation of proven measures to reduce and eliminate healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), and building these measures into work flows are among some of the biggest challenges to healthcare institutions today, says a group of experts who convened for a special panel hosted by Infection Control Today magazine to pinpoint the opportunities and challenges related to infection prevention and control. Our panel of experts included Rabih Darouiche, MD, director of the Center of Prostheses Infection at Baylor College of Medicine; Charles Edmiston, PhD, SM (ASCP), CIC, professor of surgery and hospital epidemiologist at Froedtert Hospital - Medical College of Wisconsin, and adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Glenn Mitchell, MD, chief medical officer at the Sisters of Mercy Health System; Denise Murphy, RN, MPH, CIC, vice president for quality and patient Safety at Main Line Health System; and Ruth Shumaker, RN, BSN, CNOR, a healthcare management and perioperative consultant.