Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – May 1, 2019
May 1, 2019
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A Bold Strategy to End the AIDS Epidemic in the U.S.
While taking an overall national approach, the plan — part of a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies — would target specific geographic areas and at-risk populations. The goals are a 75% reduction in infections in the next five years and a 90% reduction in 10 years. -
IPs Held the Line When AIDS Epidemic Hit U.S.
Currently president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Karen Hoffmann was a new IP at Detroit Medical Center 38 years ago. She recalls the day in 1981 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report on the first cases of what eventually would be called AIDS. Hospital Infection Control & Prevention talked to Hoffmann about the IP experience during the epidemic in the following interview.
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IPs Finally Moving the Needle on C. diff
A combination of antibiotic stewardship, infection prevention, and environmental cleaning contributed to a 20% reduction in Clostridioides difficile from 2016 to 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
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Surgical Site Infections and the Patient Microbiome
Evidence is mounting that the vast majority of surgical site infections (SSIs) are caused by microorganisms on patients’ skin and in their nares, meaning intensifying and improving skin prep and nasal decolonization could greatly reduce SSIs. -
Avoid Antibiotics by Reducing Unnecessary Urine Tests
Changing urine culture order test indications during a switch to a computerized physician order entry sharply reduced unnecessary cultures and saved considerable costs in lab expenses, researchers report. Moreover, it spared patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria from treatment more appropriate for a fully diagnosed urinary tract infection. -
Intervention Reduces MRSA in Non-ICU Patients With Devices
Routine chlorhexidine bathing and targeted use of mupirocin dramatically reduced methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in non-ICU patients with invasive devices like central lines, researchers report.
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Undetected Plague Exposes Hospital Workers
In an incident that could have implications for therapy and support dogs in healthcare, 116 employees and students in a veterinary teaching hospital were exposed to pneumonic plague by a dog with unrecognized infection, investigators report.