Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – May 1, 2012
May 1, 2012
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ID groups urge CMS to mandate antimicrobial stewardship programs
Infectious disease societies frustrated at watching antimicrobial resistance increase for decades are taking the unusual step of asking for federal regulation and oversight of clinical practice, imploring the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to require hospitals to implement antimicrobial stewardship programs. -
Changing the antibiotic mindset of docs, patients
In addition to calling for federal regulation requiring antimicrobial stewardship, a position paper by leading infectious disease groups recommended several other measures to preserve remaining antibiotic efficacy. -
Post-script review, feedback curtails antibiotic use
A new multicenter study shows that antimicrobial stewardship expressed as a post-prescription review and feedback intervention can decrease antimicrobial use, especially when it's part of an established antimicrobial program. -
A tool for every task, for every task a tool
Researchers are finding a systemic problem involving the unnecessary use of IV fluoroquinolones in the acute care wards of hospitals. While the data came from 128 Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals, the research suggests this is a trend that all health care systems should address through antimicrobial stewardship programs. -
Does the patient need IV drugs at discharge?
Investigators evaluating more than 240 patients over a three-month period found that infectious diseases (ID) physicians correctly identified patients who did not need to be discharged on community-based parenteral anti-infective therapy (CoPAT). -
Norovirus outbreaks trigger unit closures
Norovirus is the organism most likely to trigger a shutdown of units in your hospital. And according to a recent survey of infection preventionists, it is responsible for more outbreaks than some deadlier organisms, such as Clostridium difficile and Staphylococcus aureus. -
The Joint Commission Update for Infection Control: HAIs a high priority: Joint Commission gives infection prevention its own web portal
In yet another sign that infection control is becoming a national priority across a wide range of accreditors, regulators and state and federal agencies, the Joint Commission has created a new web portal to combine its full array of initiatives to prevent health care associated infections (HAIs). -
The Joint Commission Update for Infection Control: JC surveyors looked at IC 'everywhere'
One hospital's survey experience suggests Joint Commission surveyors will remain highly interested in infection control even if your health care associated infection (HAI) rate is low. -
The Joint Commission Update for Infection Control: Gown use for isolation remains a judgment call
The question of gown use when entering patient isolation rooms is a recurrent one, so it is worth noting that this is the current thinking of the Joint Commission on the subject: