Search the hub
Showing results for tags 'Healthcare associated infection'.
Found 180 results
-
Content ArticleThis customisable, educational toolkit published by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) aims to help ICUs reduce rates of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI). The materials can be used to assess current safety practice, implement new approaches and overcome particular challenges related to CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs.
-
Content ArticleThis briefing examines the results of a US study which showed that 80% of patients that have an infection from a cardiac implant are not treated according to clinical practice guidelines, increasing their chances of death from infection. When patients with implantable cardiac devices have an infection, current guidelines state that these devices should be removed, however, this did not happen for the majority of the 1,065,549 Medicare patients included in the study that had a cardiac implant infection between 2006 and 2019.
-
Content ArticleBetween 2006 and 2009, WHO elaborated and issued the concept of ‘My Five Moments for Hand Hygiene’ in healthcare in collaboration with the pioneering infection prevention and control (IPC) research group at the University of Geneva. The primary objective of this approach is to facilitate behavioural change and prioritise hand hygiene action at the exact times needed to prevent the transmission of pathogens and avoid harm to patients and health workers during care delivery. Importantly, the Five Moments approach overcomes some relevant barriers to hand hygiene practices identified before its launch, such as long lists for hand hygiene action without any consideration of the dynamics of patient, health worker and environmental interactions The Five Moments approach is being constantly tailored to meet the challenges of care locations outside the traditional hospital setting, as well as across all countries and resource levels. The main thrust of the approach remains targeted at patient and health worker safety at the point of care where the risk of acquiring infection can be at its highest. Further work to help meet the Five Moments objectives through its adaptation and adoption worldwide is to be welcomed. WHO committed to further action and research on lessons learnt from field implementation, as well as the active dissemination of available tools to support countries to further understand and accept this proven approach.
-
Content ArticleThis article in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology reviews the literature from various geopolitical regions and describes how a substantial number of patients with diabetes improperly discard their sharps. Data support the need to develop multifaceted and innovative approaches to reduce the risks associated with improper disposal of medical sharps into local communities.
-
Content ArticleThe hospital environment in general and single room accommodation in particular are potentially important factors influencing the quality of the care provided and patient outcomes. Two areas that have received much attention for the effect of single rooms on healthcare quality are infection rates and adverse events. New hospital design includes more single room accommodation but there is scant and ambiguous evidence relating to the impact on patient safety and staff and patient experiences. This study from Maben et al. found that both staff and patients perceived advantages and disadvantages in having all single room accommodation in hospitals, but more patients expressed a clear preference for single rooms. Single rooms are associated with higher costs but the difference is marginal over time.
-
Content ArticleThe national surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance service in England collates and publishes SSI rates that are used for benchmarking and to identify the prevalence of SSIs. However, research studies using high-quality SSI surveillance report rates that are much higher than those published by the national surveillance service. This variance questions the validity of data collected through the national service. The aim of this study from Tanner et al. was to audit SSI definitions and data collection methods used by hospital trusts in England.
-
Content Article
Infection control matters: podcast series
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Infection control
In this podcast series, Professor Brett Mitchell (from the University of Newcastle Australia), Associate Professor Deborah Friedman (Barwon Health), Martin Kiernan (University of West London and University of Newcastle) and Associate Professor Philip Russo (Monash University) discuss new research and issues on the topic of infection prevention and control. They talk to doctors, nurses, clinicians, academics and administrators. -
Content ArticleThis study, published online by Cambridge University Press, looks at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on incidences of healthcare-associated infection in hospitals in the United States of America. The authors analyse events reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network for 2019 and 2020 by acute-care hospitals.
-
Content ArticleThe coronavirus has a high incidence of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Many patients infected with COVID-19 need to be admitted to the ICU for invasive ventilation. They are also at a high risk of developing secondary, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).
-
Content ArticleThe primary objective of this multicenter, observational, retrospective study from Giacobbe et al. was to assess the incidence rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in intensive care units (ICU). The secondary objective was to assess predictors of 30-day case-fatality of VAP.
-
Content ArticleDuncan L Wyncoll and Peter J Young discuss 'Treating the symptom not the cause' of ventilator associated pneumonia.
-
Content ArticleThe PneuX System is a novel endotracheal tube and tracheal seal monitor, which has been designed to minimise the aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions. Doyle et al. aimed to determine the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in patients who were intubated with the PneuX System and to establish whether intermittent subglottic secretion drainage could be performed reliably and safely using the PneuX System.
-
Content ArticleThis document highlights practical recommendations in a concise format to assist acute care hospitals in implementing and prioritising strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and other ventilator-associated events (VAEs) and to improve outcomes for mechanically ventilated adults, children, and neonates.
-
Content ArticleThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide answers to FAQs about ventilator-associated pneumonia.
-
Content ArticleVentilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) continues to be a clinically important hospital-acquired infection. In this paper, Marin H. Kollef discusses the financial impact.
-
Content ArticleHealthcare associated infections (HAI), such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), are the most common and most preventable complication of a patient’s hospital stay. Their frequency and potential adverse effects increase in critically ill patients because of impaired physiology, including a blunted immune response and multi-organ dysfunction. Traditionally, VAP rates have been measured as an indicator of quality of care. Despite recent initiatives to measure complications of mechanical ventilation and a decrease in incidence over the past few years, VAP remains an issue for critically ill adults, with mortality estimated as high as 10%. This article from Boltey et al. reviews the top five evidence-based nursing practices for reducing VAP risk in critically ill adults.
-
Content ArticleVentilator-associated pneumonia is an important healthcare-associated infection. Interventions for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia are often used within bundles of care. Recent evidence has challenged widespread practices mandating a review of subject. This article outlines guidance for ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention.
-
Content ArticleVentilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in ventilated critically ill patients. Muscedere et al. systematically searched for all relevant randomised, controlled trials and systematic reviews on the topic of prevention of VAP in adults that were published from 1980 to 1 October 2006. in order to develop evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of VAP.
-
Content Article
hub topic lead Julie Storr highlights World Hand Hygiene Day and why hand hygiene in healthcare is one small but important part of keeping people safe. -
Content ArticleThe primary objective of this study, published in Intensive Care Medicine, was to investigate the risk of ICU bloodstream infection (BSI) in critically ill COVID-19 patients compared to non-COVID-19 patients. Authors conclude: "The ICU-BSI risk was higher for COVID-19 than non-COVID-19 critically ill patients after seven days of ICU stay. Clinicians should be particularly careful on late ICU-BSIs in COVID-19 patients. Tocilizumab or anakinra may increase the ICU-BSI risk."
-
Content ArticleThis book aims to teach the key principles of patient safety to a diverse audience: physicians, nurses, pharmacists, other healthcare providers, quality and safety professionals, risk managers, hospital administrators, and others. It is suitable for all levels of readers: from the senior physician trying to learn this new way of approaching his or her work, to the medical or nursing student, to the risk manager or hospital board member seeking to get more involved in institutional safety efforts. Understanding Patient Safety is divided into three main sections. In Section I, it describes the epidemiology of error, distinguishes safety from quality, discusses the key mental models that inform our modern understanding of the safety field, and summarises the policy environment for patient safety. In Section II, it reviews different error types, taking advantage of real cases to describe various kinds of mistakes and safety hazards, introduces new terminology, and discusses what we know about how errors happen and how they can be prevented. Although many prevention strategies will be touched on in Section II, more general issues regarding various strategies (from both individual institutional and broader policy perspectives) will be reviewed in Section III. After a concluding chapter, the Appendix includes a wide array of resources, from helpful Web sites to a patient safety glossary.
-
Content ArticleThe Perioperative Warming Quality Improvement Resource summarises the evidence for temperature monitoring, pre, intra and post-operative warming, plus intravenous and irrigation fluids. See also the Perioperative Warming Decision Guide to help support what pre, intra and post-op actions need to be taken to prevent inadvertant perioperative hypothermia.
-
Content ArticleThe Surgical Skin Preparation Quality Improvement Resource summarises the evidence for patient washing, hair removal, skin disinfection and the use of incise drapes.
-
Content ArticleLearn about the latest scientific evidence around theatre ventilation, movement in and out of theatres and the cleaning processes.
-
Content ArticleA guide about skin preparation and disinfection to help reduce the risk of surgical site infection.
