Safe Healthcare Blog

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Ethiopian Hospitals Use Infection Prevention and Control Practices to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

Two hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are demonstrating that even when access to resources is limited, commitment to infection prevention and control (IPC) practices makes combating antimicrobial resistance (AR) possible. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can cause severe, hard-to-treat infections. They were associated with almost 5 million deaths worldwide in 2019. IPC practices such as proper hand hygiene, Read More >

Posted on by Guest authors: Sophie Jones and Elizabeth Soda4 CommentsTags , , , , ,

My Daughter Died from Sepsis–Public Awareness is Critical

Allison, Daniel, and Clover Harrold

When our 9-month-old daughter, Clover, got sick with a fever in 2017, sepsis did not even cross our minds. Clover was a healthy baby and in daycare since she was 8 weeks old. When in daycare, a fever becomes a normal occurrence for children. We were told babies were little “germ factories,” and that seemed Read More >

Posted on by Allison Harrold2 CommentsTags

I Want My Sepsis Experience to Help Save Lives

Katy Grainger, Sepsis Alliance Board of Directors

In 2018, I got a small infection on my thumb that looked unusual, so I visited an emergency room. All my vital signs were strong at the time, and there was no indication that the infection had progressed or that my body had developed sepsis. Over the next 36 hours, I developed several of the Read More >

Posted on by Katy Grainger, Sepsis Survivor, double amputee, patient advocate and member of Sepsis Alliance Board of Directors13 CommentsTags , , ,

One Pill Can Kill

Our daughter, Maisie, died after ingesting a methadone pill at a neighbor’s house that was on the floor. Six adults, three of them doctors, were with her the entire evening. Still, the small white pill found her hand, and then, as a nine-month-old baby would do, found her mouth. After putting Maisie to bed during Read More >

Posted on by Adam and MaryBeth Gillan, Maisie’s parents1 CommentTags

Reminder: Infection Control Actions to Take During Respiratory Virus Season

Last year’s considerable respiratory virus season saw spread of COVID-19, flu, and RSV, which led to extra stress on an already overwhelmed healthcare system. When respiratory viruses are spreading in the community, the risk for spread in healthcare settings increases as well. Remember: Regardless of your healthcare setting or which respiratory viruses are spreading in Read More >

Posted on by Mike Bell, MD1 CommentTags ,