Categories: CLABSI, Healthcare-associated infections, NHSN, State HAI Prevention
July 30th, 2010 1:59 pm ET -
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Michael Bell, MD
-Mike Bell, MD
Deputy Director,
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, CDC
It’s a new day in our efforts to eliminate healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). A rule released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) lays out HAI reporting requirements for Medicare eligible hospitals that participate in CMS’ pay-for-reporting program. More than 3,500 hospitals will soon use CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) to report central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and surgical site infection (SSI) data to CMS. In turn, the agency will post the information on the HHS publicly accessible Hospital Compare Web site.
The release from CMS today is yet another sign that HAIs are recognized as a significant measure of healthcare quality. It is encouraging to see CMS build upon its work in preventing healthcare-acquired conditions, including HAIs.
So, what does this mean in practice?
For healthcare facilities – it connects financial incentives to HAI reporting. In other words, facilities that report will be recognized and rewarded for their efforts. We expect that this change will fuel existing momentum toward HAI prevention and elimination programs already happening within healthcare facilities across the country.
For patients – it is an excellent way to see how their hospital is doing on several quality of care issues, including preventing infections. It will be the first time patients from all states can view the infection data from their local hospitals. This information can serve as a discussion point between patients and their healthcare providers.
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Categories: BSIs, CLABSI, Healthcare-associated infections
July 19th, 2010 2:10 pm ET -
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Cathryn Louise Murphy, RN, PhD, CIC
Guest Author -Cathryn Louise Murphy, RN, PhD, CIC
2010 President – Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology
Managing Director – Infection Control Plus
Associate Professor – Faculty of Health Services and Medicine, Bond University
“I believe in zero CLABSIs!” shouted a group of 3,400 APIC Annual Conference attendees at the conclusion of patient-safety leader Dr. Peter Pronovost’s opening session on Monday, July 11. Is the idea of zero central-line associated bloodstream infections a far-fetched dream, or a vision that can become reality for healthcare institutions around the world in the not-so-distant future?
In a new and exciting campaign, APIC has teamed with Dr. Peter Pronovost to mobilize infection preventionists to prove that prevention is possible.
Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) and central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) carry high mortality and high cost, leading to more than 30,000 deaths in the U.S. each year and driving up the cost of care by more than $30,000 per patient. This is an even greater problem in developing countries, where the rates of HAIs related to devices are in most cases 3 to 5 times greater than in developed countries.
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Categories: Hand Hygiene, Healthcare-associated infections
July 13th, 2010 11:16 am ET -
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iScrub App
Guest Author — Dr. Philip Polgreen
iScrub Developer
Assistant Professor,
University of Iowa,
Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
Imagine driving down a road and seeing a roadside speed device telling you that you are driving 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. Would you slow down? Chances are, most of us would. My colleagues and I are hoping a similar concept, combined with a free iPhone application, will also help healthcare personnel think twice and follow hand hygiene guidelines.
We all know that hand hygiene is important for preventing healthcare- associated infections (HAIs), yet hand hygiene rates among healthcare workers remain unacceptably low. There are many reasons why healthcare workers do not consistently perform hand hygiene, and many interventions have been suggested to change behavior. One promising approach is to remind healthcare workers how they are doing. The hope is that reminding healthcare workers about hand hygiene might alter their behavior. Perhaps if that behavior is firmly in place, such reminders might not be necessary in the future. Think about seatbelts.
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Categories: Hand Hygiene, Healthcare-associated infections
July 9th, 2010 12:57 pm ET -
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Hand Hygiene Saves Lives: Patient Admission Video
Krissy Brinsley-Rainisch, MPH
CDC Health Communications Specialist
CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
Performing hand hygiene is a simple, mundane task. It is a very low tech action but has been shown to dramatically reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Still, there are a multitude of reasons why it isn’t always practiced as recommended: forgetfulness, too busy, lack of supplies, etc.
Patients and their loved ones can play an important role in the prevention of HAIs – they can ask or remind healthcare providers to wash their hands. CDC recently produced a video that encourages people to do just that. People often feel intimidated to question a healthcare provider, or they may even fear retaliation. We found in our evaluation of the video that healthcare providers are comfortable being asked by patients and their family members to perform hand hygiene, and more importantly, they would perform hand hygiene after being asked.
It can be difficult to speak up, especially when you are sick. Having a family member with you can help. The discomfort of speaking up outweighs the potential consequences of not doing so. Here’s one way to do it:
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Categories: Clostridium difficile, Hand Hygiene, Healthcare-associated infections
July 8th, 2010 2:42 pm ET -
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Katherine Ellingson, PhD
Kate Ellingson, Ph.D.
CDC Epidemiologist
CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
In patient care, the first rule is to do no harm. I believe a huge component of that concept is hand hygiene – ensuring that every patient is touched only by clean hands . Such a simple concept, yet we know that half or fewer of healthcare personnel actually clean their hands when they should. Perhaps it’s too simple, so much so that we dismiss its importance. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we get many requests to clarify those procedures and to find out why people don’t follow them.
When should healthcare personnel wash their hands? The answer is simple – before and after direct patient contact and after contact with the immediate patient environment such as bedrails. This includes before putting on and after taking off gloves. Healthcare personnel should also perform hand hygiene after contact with bodily fluids and before aseptic tasks.
What should healthcare personnel use to disinfect their hands? CDC recommends alcohol-based handrub as the primary mode of hand hygiene. However, hands should be washed with soap and water when they are visibly soiled or after healthcare personnel have been in contact with patients with diarrheal illnesses such as Norovirus or C. difficile.
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