Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – August 1, 2015
August 1, 2015
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Treating HAIs with Ebola team approach could save lives
The Ebola outbreak that fueled fear in America and still smolders on in West Africa has left infection preventionists with a legion of lessons to ponder. Accordingly, practical points on improving communications, training, donning and doffing of protective gear were recently discussed in Nashville at the opening session of the annual APIC conference. But in addition to some 4,300 infection preventionists, there was an elephant in the room.
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Eyewitness to History: IPs Tell their Ebola Stories
Infection preventionists have responded to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in a variety of ways. Here's what they saw.
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APIC President: IPs are ‘living history’ in their fight against infections
Enduring partnerships must be formed with a wide variety of colleagues to meet the continual challenge of the next crisis.
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A 58% mortality rate: 509 healthcare workers have died in Ebola outbreak in West Africa
During the historic Ebola outbreak in West Africa that is now making its last stand, 509 healthcare workers gave their lives trying to save others. The deaths translate to a mortality rate of 58% of the 875 healthcare workers infected as of July 5, 2015, the WHO reports.
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With TB at a record low in U.S., OSHA ramps up inspections in healthcare
OSHA — which lost an epic battle with the infection control community to adopt a separate tuberculosis standard more than a decade ago — has decided to put TB back on its radar and update compliance requirements for healthcare settings.
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APIC looks to frame the future, empower IP
At risk of being overwhelmed by data collection demands, infection preventionists are also arguably at their highest profile in the field’s history in a time of Ebola, MERS, and the threat of other emerging infections and pandemics. Real reductions in healthcare infections once considered inevitable are proving possible for those that can find the time and resources to intervene and implement prevention strategies. For today’s IP, the opposite poles are the infamous silo and the patient bedside.
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Clostridium difficile causing some 8,700 fatal infections in long-term care annually
C. diff is becoming a leading killer in nursing homes, as residents predisposed to the brutal infection by antibiotic treatments in both hospitals and long-term care settings succumb to this opportunistic gut dweller.