Safe Healthcare Blog

Hosted by CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. If you have questions or comments about healthcare safety topics, please contact CDC-INFO at https://wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/ContactUs/Form.

Celebrating National Skilled Nursing Care Week 2021

Dr. Denise Cardo

Long-term care staff are healthcare heroes In recognition of National Skilled Nursing Care Week 2021, the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion would like to thank the long-term care staff of facilities across the country for the their great work and dedication to caring for and protecting residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have heard many Read More >

Posted on by Denise Cardo, MD
Categories Healthcare-associated infections, Infection Control and Prevention, Long Term Care (LTC)
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New Study Sets Baseline to Measure Quality of Antibiotic Prescribing in U.S. Hospitals

In Hospitals in 2015 More Than Half of antibiotic prescribing for selected events was not consistent with recommended prescribing practices. Since then, CDC and Hospitals have: Established a method and a baseline for measuring the quality of hospital antibiotic prescribing and set national targets for improvement. Expanded antibiotic stewardship programs, with 89% of U.S. hospitals meeting all 7 Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs in 2019. Received antibiotic use data from more than 2,000 hospitals through CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (up from 120 hospitals in 2015). Read More About: CDC collaborations with parterns to improve antibiotic use across all healthcare settings; http://bit.ly/AbxStewAction. HHS & CDC Logos.

Experts set national targets to improve prescribing—essential to protecting patients and slowing the rise of antibiotic resistance On March 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a new study in JAMA Network Open showing that in 2015, more than half of antibiotics prescribed in U.S hospitals did not follow recommended prescribing practices. Read More >

Posted on by David Hyun and Melinda Neuhauser
Categories Antibiotic Resistance and Antibiotic Use (Stewardship)
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Survey of US. Doctors Reveals Challenges, Strategies for Reducing Inappropriate Antibiotic Use

Zetts and Hyun

To combat antibiotic resistance threats it’s essential to improve how antibiotics are prescribed Guest Author: By David Hyun and Rachel Zetts David Hyun, M.D., is a senior officer and Rachel Zetts, M.P.H., is an officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ antibiotic resistance project. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has provided a stark reminder of the numerous Read More >

Posted on by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog
Categories Antibiotic Resistance and Antibiotic Use (Stewardship), Outpatient Care

Sepsis Awareness Month: Why Sepsis Awareness Is More Important Than Ever

Dr. Denise Cardo

Denise Cardo, MD Director, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention In these unprecedented times, Sepsis Awareness Month is a moment for us to reflect on and recommit to focusing on the needs of the patient. Sepsis is the body’s extreme Read More >

Posted on by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog30 Comments
Categories Infection Control and Prevention, Sepsis

Advancing Laboratory Diagnostic Stewardship for Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Antibiotic Resistance, and Sepsis

Meeting participants engage in group discussion.

Emily Curren DVM, MPH On December 9, 2019, CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion (DHQP) hosted a meeting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, on improving patient safety through diagnostic stewardship. Meeting attendees represented academia; federal partners; and professional, industry, and patient representative organizations. The meeting focused on identifying emerging issues in the field of Read More >

Posted on by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog2 Comments
Categories Healthcare-associated infections