Despite better compliance with hand hygiene and screening, use of isolation, and other techniques, ICUs remain notorious breeding grounds for hospital-acquired infections. A universal decolonization strategy reduces the total number of ICU bloodborne infections.
With the beginning of another year, many will be resolving to lose some weight. According to consumer surveys conducted for industries manufacturing low-calorie foods and beverages, 54% of Americans were trying to lose weight in 2010, up from 33% in 2004 and 24% in 2000.1 The U.S. market for all weight loss products and services is now worth $60.9 billion.2
The number of people in the United States age 65 and older has grown from 35 million in 2000 to 40 million in 2010, a 15% increase. This number is expected to be about 55 million by 2020, a 36% increase for the coming decade.1
Every year in September throughout the United States, students return to school, and many people return to work from vacation and summer break. As weather cools with the coming fall and winter, people gather in close proximity in colleges, schools, daycares, clinics, and workplaces.