Quality & Patient Safety Newsletters

Briefings on Infection Control Briefings on The Joint Commission Patient Safety Monitor

Your facility's infection control and prevention initiatives are in the spotlight: Scrutiny from The Joint Commission, CDC guidelines, mounting pressure from state government, and heightened public awareness all paly a role. How will you keep up?

2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003

Briefings on Infection Control

Issue 12, December 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Seven steps for finding, assessing, and mitigating risks in your facility

  Yes, it's a Joint Commission (formerly JCAHO) requirement, but you shouldn't look at risk...

• Take steps to ward off IC-related legal risks

  "Staph fatalities may exceed AIDS deaths." That's a headline that's sure to turn heads. In October...

• Are you tracking patients outside your walls?

  Your infection rates are only as good as the data you're collecting, but if you aren't looking at...

• Study sheds light on C. diff's wily ways

  If you're struggling with C. diff at your facility, you might want to consider changing your...

Issue 11, November 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• How to make time for surveillance: Focus your plan and reap the rewards

  An effective surveillance plan is the backbone of any solid IC program, yet it is also just one of...

• A look through the microscope of mandatory reporting

  In January 2004, life for ICPs like Sharon Jacobs, RN, MS, CIC, manager of infection prevention and...

• Visitors and PPE: The pros and cons of a touchy debate

  There's one thing nearly all ICPs agree on-nobody wants hospital visitors taking home souvenirs...

• New CMS regulations will put IC efforts in the spotlight

  If you have trouble coming up with the right figures to convince hospital administrators that you...

Issue 10, October 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Take practical steps to protect your staff members, patients from the flu

  Each year between 250,000 and 500,000 people die worldwide from seasonal influenza. According to...

• Florida hospitals band together to prepare for pandemic

  In hurricane-prone Florida, hospital officials are no strangers to battening down the hatches and...

• How the NHSN can help you reach your data collection goals

  As many healthcare organizations mobilize to meet emerging IC challenges, including mandatory...

Issue 9, September 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• How to find the perfect match for your IC program

  It can be difficult to find the right fit when it comes to hiring a new ICP-make a wrong move and...

• Is your facility on top of the CDC's new isolation precautions?

  The highly anticipated CDC isolation precaution guidelines are out, and although the document...

• The Joint Commission adds WHO hand hygiene to NPSGs

  In June, The Joint Commission released its 2008 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG), and ICPs...

• APIC's comprehensive MRSA study shows need for resources

  The results of APIC's recent MRSA prevalence study shows that rates of the pathogen are between...

Issue 8, August 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Don't let IC standards go to the dogs when pets visit

  Not all visitors to healthcare facilities walk upright-from time to time you may find yourself...

• IC training and real-world lessons for resident physicians

  IC training for resident physicians is delivered via Web-based models, videos, and speaker...

• Performing active surveillance on children for MDROs

  If your facility uses clinical cultures to estimate the prevalence of MRSA and vancomycin-resistant...

• Don't neglect IV pumps: Tips for getting the job done

  Cleaning IV pumps is not likely to be on anyone's list of favorite chores, but it's important to...

Issue 7, July 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• ICPs at small hospitals juggle multiple roles with limited funds

  ICP Jeannette Fiveash was already responsible for CPR training and sat on six committees-pandemic...

• Taking off the gloves: KO poor PPE habits among staff

  You see them in elevators pushing buttons, in hallways transporting patients, and walking out of...

• Identifying MDROs upon admission may help IC efforts

  Anyone who tests positive for a multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) at Newman Regional Health in...

• Targeting at-risk populations can be an effective IC strategy

  Screening every patient who comes through your doors for multidrug-resistant organisms can be a...

Issue 6, June 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Communication, compliance, and improved IC measures

  Taking frequent walks through the ICU and other units allows you not only to perform spot checks to...

• Unannounced surveys raising the bar for facilities

  Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston uses spies to monitor hand-hygiene compliance. The...

• Community-acquired pneumonia measures revisited

  A study in the May Annals of Emergency Medicine sheds light on a problem with The Joint...

• Healthcare workers tapped for avian flu planning

  The University of Iowa (UI) in Iowa City has launched a new tool in the effort to prepare for a...

Issue 5, May 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Nebraska hospital tackles training for housekeeping staff head-on

  A hospital's housekeepers are critical players when it comes to preventing infections, but training...

• Plan today for Joint Commission queries that could come tomorrow

  It's got a new name, new logo, and new Web site. The newly dubbed Joint Commission (formerly...

• Determine when to avoid using hand antiseptics

  They can also be less drying to hands than soap and are effective-easily killing tough...

• More states pressure hospitals on infection rates

  It's safe to say that everyone from state and federal legislators to ICPs and organizations share a...

Issue 4, April 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• A hospital offers tough lessons in the wake of infant deaths

  It's a difficult scenario: Two infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) die. The suspected...

• Learn these best practices to tackle MRSA infections early on

  Treatment of the estimated 120,000 people who develop MRSA each year nationwide costs billions of...

• Science backs practical, inexpensive safeguards

  Five simple, low-cost interventions can dramatically reduce central venous catheter infections in...

• Sick visits offer chances to keep children well

  When children come to Denver Health and Hospital Authority's community health services with the...

Issue 3, March 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Weigh the pros and practicality of anonymous hand-hygiene 'spies'

  Most ICPs know well the difficulties in getting healthcare staff to adhere to CDC guidelines on...

• Researchers: Four indicators can help hospitals better track MRSA

  The idea of universal surveillance for MRSA infections has created a lot of buzz these days, but...

• Debate over flu transmission raises N-95 stakes

  An analysis of influenza's potential to spread via air in addition to surface droplets supports the...

Issue 2, February 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Internal notes sharpen the tone of IC standards for surveyors

  The Joint Commission has been offering its surveyors advice on how to interpret the IC standards...

• PA report heralds growing focus on your role in public reporting

  Even if you don't work in Pennsylvania, that state's landmark public report on hospital-acquired...

• Flash sterilization criteria dissected in new guide

  The Association for the Advancement of Medical In-strumentation (AAMI) has released a "superset" of...

Issue 1, January 1, 2007 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Learn more about the CDC's two-tiered assault on MDROs

  In updating its recommendations for battling multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO), the CDC...

• Four New Year's IC resolutions

  If you've already had enough of promises to lose weight or finish a home project in 2007, maybe it...

• One hospital passes on advice to improve your staff flu vaccination program

  January 1 marks the debut of a new JCAHO standard that requires hospitals to offer vaccines to all...

• Use six pointers to advance pandemic planning

  The looming threat of an influenza pandemic has raised the ante for associated preparation drills...