Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – October 1, 2016
October 1, 2016
View Archives Issues
-
IPs are Key Collaborators in the Fight Against Sepsis
With everything else they are tasked to do, infection preventionists may question why they are now being called upon as key collaborators in the national effort to reduce sepsis, a syndrome traditionally more associated with critical care than infection control.
-
CDC: IPs Should Be Vigilant for Legionnaires’ Disease
With outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease increasing, hospitals should establish water management teams that include infection preventionists and launch an investigation even if they detect only one confirmed case of Legionella, according to recently updated guidelines1 by the CDC.
-
MERS Still Simmers on the Back Burner
While the disease du jour remains Zika, another virus with a much greater ability to spread in hospitals continues to simmer in an arid region a plane ride away: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.
-
FDA: States Should Begin Testing Blood for Zika
Underscoring the threat of Zika virus transmission via the blood supply, the FDA is calling for all states to screen donations, with Florida to do so immediately.
-
FDA Bans Over-the-Counter Antibacterial Washes
Citing a lack of efficacy data, the FDA has banned marketing of over-the-counter consumer antiseptic and antibacterial hand and body wash products in a final rule that will not affect healthcare settings.
-
C. difficile Burden Varies By Facility, Sometimes Only Miles Apart
While the risks for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are well-recognized, the basis for the significant variation in CDI incidence found in long-term care across the United States is poorly understood. These authors examined regional risk factors for CDI across Veteran Health Administration long-term care facilities (LTCFs) from 2006 to 2012. VHA is divided into 86 different regions, and there are significant differences between them in the risk of CDI.