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With a vaccine on the way, it may be tempting to downplay the threat of pandemic H1N1 influenza A as it moves out of the Southern Hemisphere to spread in more favorable fall and winter conditions in the United States.
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The proposed federal bill HR 3200 America's Affordable Health Choices Act includes a section requiring reporting of health care-associated infections (HAIs). Key provisions are summarized as follows:
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The nuts and bolts of pandemic planning involve quantifiable items: Ventilators, respirators, antiviral medications, vaccine doses. But in the midst of drills and stockpiles and vaccine campaigns, don't forget about the psychosocial needs of your frontline employees.
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With a vaccine shortage projected for novel H1N1 influenza A, only the highest priority groups are likely to be offered the shot when initial lots are cleared for distribution this fall.
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A scourge of hospitals for decades, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may finally be on the run, and it's moving in the right direction: from the bedside to the "C-suite." In initiatives that speak to both quality and cost-savings, hospital CEOs are putting their considerable clout behind infection prevention efforts against the most highly publicized health care-associated infection (HAI).
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Infection prevention efforts appear to be making a dramatic difference in hospital intensive care units, which are reporting declining rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) central line-associated bloodstream infections (BSIs), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
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As recurrent hepatitis outbreaks continue in ambulatory care nationally, there are increasing calls for more oversight and training for health care workers in those settings.
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You've no doubt noticed that infection prevention is not convenient for those that work at the bedside. Professional frontline staff may not use the word "inconvenient" to describe their frustrations, yet the verbal message leaves little doubt when accompanied by wearisome body language.
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The recently finalized federal stimulus bill includes $1 billion to fund prevention and wellness programs, with $50 million going to states to implement health care-associated infection (HAI) reduction strategies.
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The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is urging patients to heighten awareness and become quite inquisitive before undergoing outpatient care.
