Study: Seasonal Spikes in Antibiotic Misuse

The study authors say their findings suggest that “current initiatives to improve the use of antibiotics in outpatient settings may not be enough to change clinicians’ prescribing practices.” And they feel clinicians must be better equipped “with the tools and knowledge to know when antibiotics are needed.”

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Study: AHRQ Program Helps Hawaiian Hospitals Cut SSI Rate

Between January 2013 and June 2015, all hospitals across Hawaii participated in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Safety Program for Surgery. The 15-hospital collaborative were part of an AHRQ-funded effort to improve surgical care across the country.

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Joint Commission Appoints New Director of Infection Prevention and Control

According to a Joint Commission release, she has worked for more than 30 years in infection prevention and control in hospitals and long-term care facilities, along with eight years of clinical microbiology experience. Recently, Garcia-Houchins was director of infection control at the University of Chicago Medicine and was a consultant for Joint Commission Resources.

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Expect More Scrutiny on Hand Hygiene

Now, if a Joint Commission surveyor sees anyone who directly cares for patients fail to perform required hand hygiene, the healthcare organization (HCO) will get a Requirement for Improvement. The Joint Commission justified the change by saying HCOs have had more than enough time to train personnel on how to maintain hand hygiene.

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