CMOs Should be Addressing Antimicrobial Resistant Pathogens
The spike in antimicrobial resistant pathogens was likely caused by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the CDC. Drivers of the spike include longer lengths of stay, disruption of infection prevention practices, and increased inappropriate antibiotic use, the CDC says.
Looking to Policy to Prepare for the Next Outbreak
With outbreaks of measles and bird flu making headlines, now is a great time for healthcare organizations to take a hard look at preparedness and identify risk areas to help better understand transmission and take steps to make sure they can identify and appropriately manage these and other contagious diseases.
AI-Driven Diagnostic Tool Reduces Sepsis Deaths by 20% at Louisiana Hospital
Sepsis is the body’s extreme reaction to an infection that can result in tissue damage and organ failure. Annually in the United States, there are at least 1.7 million adult hospitalizations for sepsis and at least 350,000 deaths from the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
How Providence Reduced Sepsis Deaths 3 Years in a Row
The health system has more than doubled use of a standardized order set for sepsis patients. The primary elements are blood work and tests used to diagnose sepsis, administration of antibiotics, intravenous fluid resuscitation, and management of hypotension. Providence now uses the order set for 76% of patients presenting with sepsis and hopes to raise that rate to 80%.
IU Health has Reduced Healthcare-Associated Infections by Nearly 50%
Healthcare-associated infections are a key element of patient safety, which is a top concern for CMOs. Health system and hospital CMOs can learn from IU Health’s success in reducing healthcare-associated infections.
RWJBarnabas Initiatives Reduce Hospital Mortality Rate by 20%
Several initiatives at RWJBarnabas Health over the past two years have led to a significant reduction in the hospital mortality rate. Coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, leadership at the West Orange, N.J.-based health system realized there was room to improve the mortality rate at their 12 acute care hospitals.
Addressing Non-Ventilator-Associated Hospital-Acquired Infection Prevention
With a 36.3% sepsis rate in NV-HAP patients compared to 1.9% in those with community-acquired pneumonia, NV-HAP sees a staggering 19-fold increase in sepsis incidence. Meanwhile, sepsis treatment in the U.S. costs the industry $24 billion annually, so more proactive steps toward prevention could not only mean healthier patients, but better financial outcomes as well.
Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades Show Improvement in Patient Experience and Infection Prevention
Hospitals are seeing improvements in patient experience and a decrease in preventable healthcare-associated infections (HAI), according to The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2024 Hospital Safety Grades.
Researchers Use AI to Identify Healthcare-Based Outbreaks
A four-year study in 82 hospitals across the US, recently posted in The New England Journal of Medicine, found that the automated tool reduced potential outbreaks by 64% compared to traditional methods of identifying an outbreak. The tool identified potential outbreaks, on average, three times per year per hospital.
SHEA Weighs in on Addressing Measles Outbreaks
With notable measles outbreaks occurring in different regions in the U.S., the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America is raising awareness about what health systems can do to prevent infections.