HCPro.com: Briefings on Infection Control

From the AIA's new Infection Control Risk Assessment to the JCAHO's emphasis on infection control, your facility's infection control initiatives have never been under more scrutiny. Briefings on Infection Control is a 12-page monthly resource that was created specifically to help you save time complying with the new infection control regulations and combating the spread of infectious diseases in your hospital. Not only will you know about the latest changes and updates, but you'll also receive the step-by-step strategies and tools to comply!

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March 2008 (Volume 6, Issue 3)	view entire issue

CIC credential may fit the need as ICPs seek competency benchmarks
In 1982, when APIC created the Certification Board of Infection Control (CBIC), IC certification was strictly optional for ICPs. Then again, cases of MRSA and weren't raging through hospitals the way they are today. (MRSA accounted for only 2% of staph infections in 1974, but 63% in 2004, according to the CDC.) ICPs of a different era may never have imagined that in 2008 IC certification would be more important than ever in establishing a healthcare worker's qualifications to fight ever-virulent pathogens on both the national and international levels.

Patient contact, equipment pose IC risks
Editor's note: This story is part of a series focusing on IC issues in various hospital departments and specialties. Inpatient physical therapy (PT) presents several challenges when it comes to IC, says Mary Sinnott, PT, DPT, clinical associate professor at Temple University in Philadelphia. PTs have close physical contact with patients, often physically lifting or moving them. The equipment PTs use is transported with patients from room to room, and patients themselves are sometimes transported to common areas such as gymnasiums or hydrotherapy facilities, where they come into contact with other patients and equipment.

Talking trash may help improve hand hygiene
If you want to know how well your staff members are complying with hand hygiene recommendations, you might want to check the trash. Following the lead of other organizations, including the University of Pennsylvania, the Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) has seen a 35% improvement in hand hygiene compliance by asking its member hospitals to track hand sanitizer and soap use by counting discarded bottles, says Carol Wagner, RN, MBA, vice president of patient safety for the Seattle-based association.

Heading off sepsis can save lives-and money
Healthcare practitioners have made strides in identifying and treating sepsis cases, but there is no substitute for prevention. Although clinical initiatives strive to save lives when sepsis strikes, ICPs have a critical role in preventing the infections that usher in the deadly systemic response to infection. The statistics related to sepsis are grim. There are an estimated 750,000 new sepsis cases each year, and sepsis kills approximately 30%-50% of patients and up to 60% when shock is present, according to the Cambridge, MA-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Sepsis is listed as the 10th biggest killer nationwide, according to federal statistics.

Other recently-published articles from Briefings on Infection Control:

Taking on UTIs: A bundled approach

Crisis management starts at home but doesn’t end there

Intensive, expensive, and, in some cases, controversial

Focus is on IC in 2009 National Patient Safety Goals

Train your staff on respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette in time for upcoming respiratory infection season

Interpersonal relationships are crucial to successful construction projects

Prevent unsafe injection practices at your facility

Consider using technology to help reduce infections

Don’t wait for large-scale disasters to put your emergency systems to the test

Universal MRSA screening: One approach does not fit all

CMS proposes nine more IC conditions to reduced payment list

Strategies to prevent the spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in your facility

Claim victory over ventilator-associated pneumonia

The NICU: Small patients pose big infection risks

Prepare your facility to identify and tackle preventable infections

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