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An increasing number of hospitals are applying an exotic-sounding philosophy to solve an all too ordinary problem: patient infections with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
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Conceding that there is too much debate and controversy about the practice, the Joint Commission has dropped a proposed requirement in its 2009 patient safety goals to conduct active surveillance cultures (ASC) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
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The Minnesota Department of Health has issued guidelines for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that address an issue the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has left unresolved: when to discontinue contact isolation precautions.
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The SCIP Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) is not just for clinicians. There is a message for patients as well: Know the risks and protect yourself.
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The Joint Commission new national patient safety goal to prevent surgical-site infections (SSIs; NPSG.07.05.01) includes a requirement to look for SSIs out to 30 days after the procedure raising the difficult but critical issue of post- discharge surveillance.
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The Joint Commission new 2009 national patient safety goal to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSIs; NPSG.07.04.01) calls for use of use of a common-sense but once controversial checklist to ensure a standardized protocol is followed for central venous catheter insertion.
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With 100,000 infected patients a year leaving hospitals under a sheet, we are way past the day when cultural barriers and awkwardness gave patients pause about reminding health care workers to wash their hands. Indeed, patients and their advocates must remind caregivers to wash their hands with an irritating consistency.
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Needlesticks a problem some may have thought solved by needle safety devices remains a top concern among nurses.
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With the commemoration June 27 of National HIV Testing Day came the disturbing news that some 250,000 people in the United States are completely unaware they are carrying the AIDS virus in their bloodstreams.
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A nursing journal published by the state licensing board in Nevada recently urged nurses to report breaches in infection control and other egregious acts in light of the hepatitis C outbreak in Las Vegas linked to improper injection practices. The following is an excerpt from the article, written by Deborah Scott, MSN, RN, APN.