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.
How to Understand and Utilize the EPA’s “N” List
The EPA’s “N” List can be your adversary or your ally. Learn how it is compiled, how best to search it, and where EPA lists can help you most.
Promote Flu Vaccination to Help Avoid ‘Twindemic’
There is widespread concern among healthcare professionals that the United States could be facing two infectious disease emergencies this flu season. For example, the California Immunization Coalition and the California Chronic Care Coalition are urging Americans to get flu vaccination to avoid a deadly “twindemic” this fall and winter.
Q&A: Supporting the Survivors of Sepsis
Sepsis is the number one driver of hospital costs in the United States and—according to the CDC—accounts for more than one-third of hospital deaths and more than $24 billion in hospital expenses. Sepsis is the most expensive all-payer condition in the United States.
A Winning Strategy to Improve Hand Hygiene
By: Megan J. DiGiorgio & Lori Moore With all of the emphasis on hand hygiene and HAI reduction, it would seem that healthcare workers (HCW) would know how and when they should perform hand hygiene. But, this assumption couldn’t be farther from the truth. HCWs can probably list a few or most of the indications … Continued
Not Every Summer Illness Is COVID-19: Decision Support Tools Can Play Key Role in Diagnosis
With the help of decision support tools, clinicians can differentiate between vector-borne diseases during a season where more people are at risk. A decision support system uses two or more items of patient data to generate case-specific advice. In practical terms, the output of such systems is used to arrive at a specific diagnosis.