Clean Hands, Clear Communication: How Nurse Leaders Ushered in Hand Hygiene Tech Tools
Initiating culture change that comes with new technology—even one as small as hand sanitizing—requires engagement and buy-in by nurse leaders, Cox says. Leaders need to be fully engaged in and believe in the project in order to fully support it. It also requires clear communication.
Infection Prevention: Looking to the Future While Tending to the Present
Devin Jopp, who was recently appointed as CEO of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)., has identified several crucial goals where APIC can help with current infection prevention challenges and build toward a better future for the industry.
CDC: Screen for International Travel as Ebola Cases Increase
As of March 4, the CDC is also requiring all airlines and other aircraft operators to collect and transmit contact information to the CDC “for appropriate public health follow-up and intervention for all passengers boarding a flight to the United States who were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or the Republic of Guinea within the 21 days before their arrival in the United States.”
APIC’s New CEO Focused on Coronavirus Pandemic Response and Lessons Learned
Devin Jopp, EdD, MS, began working as the new CEO of APIC in December. In previous roles, he has worked with prime healthcare stakeholders, including payers, providers, and healthcare information technology professionals. For example, he served as president and CEO at the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange, which focuses on enhancing the exchange of healthcare information.
Advancing Safety and Care With Electronic Hand Hygiene Solutions
Unlike COVID-19, this issue has a relatively simple solution: Automated hand hygiene monitoring devices hardwire best practices in staff, increase compliance with hospital policies, and mitigate the risks associated with healthcare-associated infections.
Children’s Hospitals Are Partly to Blame as Superbugs Increasingly Attack Kids
A study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases in January found that 1 in 4 children given antibiotics in U.S. children’s hospitals are prescribed the drugs inappropriately — the wrong types, or for too long, or when they’re not necessary. Dr. Jason Newland, a pediatrics professor at Washington University in St. Louis who co-authored the study, said that’s likely an underestimate because the research involved 32 children’s hospitals already working together on proper antibiotic use. Newland said the nation’s 250-plus children’s hospitals need to do better.
The Need to Understand Infection Risk Sources and Pathways to Mitigate HAIs
Data from the CDC indicates that each year, about 1 in 25 U.S. hospital patients are diagnosed with at least one infection related to hospital care alone, and approximately 97,000 Americans die from hospital-related fungal infections each year.
Wrapping Up International Infection Prevention Week
As International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) winds down, we at PSQH just want to thank infection preventionists for all the hard work they do every day. In these COVID days, their job is more important than ever. Thanks to our sponsors this week, Angelini Pharma and GOJO, the inventors of Purell.
PSQH Quick Poll: Taking the Pulse of Infection Prevention Efforts
Asked to rate the infection prevention efforts of their organization, 57.2% of respondents said their program was extremely effective, 41.3% said their organization’s infection prevention was somewhat effective, and 1.5% said their efforts were not effective.
Improving Hand Hygiene Requires a Multi-Modal Approach
The key to implementing a winning hand hygiene strategy is to take a multimodal approach. Combining direct observation, just-in-time coaching and an electronic compliance monitoring system are effective solutions.