Hospital Infection Control & Prevention
RSSArticles
-
Changing Human Behavior on Antibiotic Stewardship
Infection preventionists are turning to social scientists to better understand why it is so difficult to get people to consistently wash their hands or, in a more recent example, stop them from overprescribing drugs or inappropriately using broad-spectrum antibiotics that will select out resistant organisms.
-
Zika Virus: Not Gone, Certainly Not Forgotten
A mosquito bite, typically a mere nuisance, becomes something else entirely when the mosquito carries Zika. It sets off a series of risks and variables that reach their most dire consequence if the virus reaches a human fetus, particularly during the first trimester of pregnancy. -
CDC: At-Risk Flu Patients Should Receive Antivirals
Neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI) antiviral medications should be brought to bear early and often to stave off severe and fatal flu infections due to a vaccine mismatch this season, the CDC recommends.
-
Severe Flu Season a Call to Action for Infection Preventionists
With public health officials giving clinicians essentially a standing order to administer antivirals to high-risk patients with influenza due to a vaccine mismatch, infection preventionists are stepping up to play critical roles in response to a severe flu season.
-
The High Costs of Measles Investigations
Adding to the frustration of the re-emergence of measles — a childhood vaccine-preventable disease — are the labor-intensive high cost investigations to track down all people exposed to a case that was not immediately identified and isolated.
-
Flu Vaccine Refusal: 50 Healthcare Workers Fired
The push for mandatory seasonal flu vaccination in the nation’s hospitals continues, increasing patient safety but leading to job loss for healthcare workers who refuse to comply.
-
Joint Commission Antibiotic Stewardship Standard
Infection preventionists looking to hone compliance with The Joint Commission’s accreditation standard requiring antibiotic stewardship may find some guidance in these answers to frequently asked questions.
-
CMS Reg in Limbo, but Joint Commission Standard Kicks In
A CMS proposed regulation requiring antibiotic stewardship in hospitals still is in limbo, but hospitals increasingly are adopting the programs due to new accreditation requirements by The Joint Commission.
-
Stewardship Recommendations for Critical Access Hospitals
While preventing drug-resistant bugs is a national public health priority, critical access hospitals should adopt antibiotic stewardship programs in line with their own needs and resources, the CDC states in new guidelines.
-
Bad Bugs in Small Hospitals
Relatively ignored during the first wave of antibiotic stewardship initiatives, small, rural critical access hospitals are the focus of new CDC guidelines designed to stop the rise of multidrug-resistant pathogens.