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The public is getting savvier by the day regarding what is expected in healthcare facilities from an infection prevention standpoint. It wasn't too long ago that communication with the general public was an uncommon occurrence.
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Central line-associated infections, particularly bloodstream infections (BSI), remain a huge issue in our technological age. Four academic medical centers were used to accumulate 165,963 central-line days associated with 241,518 patient days.
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In a lingering legacy of the H1N1 pandemic, stronger protections are now advised for seasonal influenza than was the case prior to the emergence of the novel H1N1 strain. That distinctive status was recently highlighted in new influenza guidance in California.
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Threatening to spread to North America after originating in hospitals in India, the pan-resistant New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1) enzyme has been linked to a fatal infection in Canada.
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The continuing global emergence of multidrug resistant gram negative pathogens bugs that are virtually impervious to all antibiotics and can transfer resistance mechanisms between species means infection prevention is more critical than ever during every patient encounter.
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Robert Rapp, PharmD, professor of pharmacy at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, is an outspoken advocate for antibiotic stewardship to preserve the efficacy of our remaining antibiotics against rising drug resistance.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to prevent infection with carbapenem-resistant pathogens include the following recommendations.
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When CIGNA members being treated by Piedmont Physicians Group in Atlanta are high-risk or noncompliant, Jennifer Farlow, RN, BSN, clinical care coordinator, contacts them and helps them get back on track for regular visits and recommended tests and procedures.
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Who knew what when? At times, you can be put in a tough position because of what a worker tells you. "We are not safety and we can't discipline, so employees tend to tell us more than they would tell others," says Susan L. Zarzycki, RN,COHN,CM, an occupational health manager at Finch Paper LLC in Glens Falls, NY. Here are some common scenarios and how to deal with each:
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As health care organizations tighten their belts to deal with today's health care environment, case managers report working harder with fewer raises and benefits. But, there is hope on the horizon as new opportunities open up for case managers under health care reform, experts say.
