Hospital Infection Control & Prevention
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The One and the Many: Experts Urge New Paradigm on Antibiotic Resistance
While the widespread overuse and misuse of antibiotics is frequently cited in discussions of increasing bacterial resistance, there are instances where even correct use for an individual patient raises the question of potential harm to others. A prevailing paradox in antibiotic therapy is that what is good for the one may be bad for the many.
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CDC Atlas Tool Maps out Resistant Bug Threat
Trying to get a literal picture of the prevalence and geographic distribution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the U.S., the CDC has created an electronic, interactive map that can be accessed on the Web or through a mobile app. The Antibiotic Resistance Patient Safety Atlas reports the percentage of various healthcare-associated infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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Prevent the Bug, Save the Drug:
Once largely consigned to separate silos, infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship are starting to show signs of a powerful partnership. The CDC’s most recent update on the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria emphasizes that drug stewardship and infection control must essentially be inseparable if they are going to be successful.
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Vaccinated HCWs Can Still Acquire Measles, Expose Patients
Even workers with a history of measles vaccination or immunity should wear an N95 or equivalent respiratory protection when examining or caring for patients with suspected or confirmed measles, says Shruti K. Gohil, MD, lead author of a recent study on the issue and associate medical director of Epidemiology & Infection Prevention at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.
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25% of HCWs May Refuse to Treat Patients in Next Pandemic Threat
Based on the historical precedents of HIV/AIDS and Ebola, some 25% of healthcare workers may refuse to treat patients with the next novel pandemic pathogen that is perceived as life-threatening, researchers report in a fascinating new attitudinal study.
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Preventing Sexual Transmission of Zika, Case in Dallas Prompts CDC guidelines
It was not entirely unexpected that emerging Zika virus could transmit sexually — as it has now done in the first case acquired in the U.S. — but it jolted a public health narrative that was primarily focused on mosquitoes, pregnancy, and birth defects.
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Puerto Rico Bracing for Possible Zika Epidemic
Zika is establishing a foothold in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which has ongoing transmission of the virus and spread is projected to increase, the CDC reports.
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Zika Questions Abound, but Standard Precautions Will Stop it
The Zika virus outbreak spreading through the Americas is raising a host of questions for U.S. infection preventionists, who are trying to keep staff informed on the unfolding public health aspects while emphasizing that standard precautions and safe injection practices will prevent transmission in healthcare settings.
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Nursing leader: Nurse-to-nurse hostility may go back to ancient competition for men
In a gender-loaded assessment that might be labeled sexist if stated by a man, a female nursing leader says the field’s “bullying” culture may have its roots in the ancient competition among women for male mates.
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IPs must be involved in construction at the onset
New construction and renovation in hospitals and other healthcare settings can pose an infectious threat to patients via dust and contaminated water, but infection preventionists may not be called into a project until its final stages.