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It sometimes seems, to paraphrase Mark Twain, that everybody talks about infection prevention but nobody does anything about it. Well, give the glory to the environmental services team at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Rochester, MN. Talk about a hands-on intervention.
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Editor's note: In this issue we conclude our two-part series on the national epidemic of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) with a look at current issues and controversies surrounding testing, discontinuing isolation and environmental cleaning.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's request for information (RFI) for possible regulatory action on infectious disease risk to health care workers includes the following key points:
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Demonstrating that you're prepared is important when Joint Commission surveyors knock on your door, says Susan Bukunt, RN, MPA, CPHQ, senior director of clinical quality and patient safety at El Camino Hospital with two campuses in Los Gatos and Mountain View, CA. "Being able to give them what they're asking for shows them that you're ready and you take this seriously," she says.
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Body art visible tattoos, nose/lip/eyebrow/tongue piercings or even the dreaded open-toe/heel shoe or sandal, can arouse surprising passion in health care. Over the years I've heard variations of the comments below, be they factual or not, invariably ending with: "Can't you do anything about this?"
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Do some health care workers infected with HIV or hepatitis B or C pose a risk to their patients? Should they be restricted from performing exposure-prone procedures?
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The time is coming when empowered patients armed with data-loaded devices and not afraid to speak up will be full partners in infection prevention, said Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, the immediate past director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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The epidemic of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) has eclipsed the nosocomial threat of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) in a group of community hospitals in the Southeast.
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Editor's note: In this issue we begin a two-part series on the national epidemic of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) with an overview of the current situation and a specific focus on challenges to hand hygiene. Look for the June 2010 issue of Hospital Infection Control & Prevention for the latest findings and recommendations on C. diff testing, discontinuing isolation and the difficult issue of environmental cleaning.
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In its spore form, C. diff is perfectly adapted for dispersal on hands and surfaces, where it can survive for prolonged periods in patient rooms and on medical equipment unless physically removed or killed by powerful solutions like bleach.
