HCPro.com - Infection Control - DO NOT USE Top Stories

Environmental services: Prevent infections and ensure safety

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:14:00 GMT

Even with initiatives such as hand hygiene awareness, respiratory etiquette, and standard and contact precautions hoarding much of the IC spotlight, environmental cleaning and disinfection have emerged as primary sources for infection prevention.

HHS allocates $9 million for ASC surveys

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Last week Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that $9 million in funding would be available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to conduct surveys and reduce HAIs in ambulatory surgery centers (ASC).

As a result one-third of the non-accredited ASCs across the country can expect a state surveyor in the next 12 months. For more specifics and a sample infection control risk assessment for ASCs, visit OSHA Healthcare Advisor.

Wall Street Journal looks at 10 steps to preventing infections

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Part of a Wall Street Journal Health Care report released late last month includes a breakdown of 10 steps to reduce infections in the hospital.

Some are rather elementary and well-known prevention efforts such as hand hygiene or data mining systems. However, the list also includes some intriguing new advancements in technology such as an invisible solution that tracks environmental cleaning efficiency and robotic disinfection equipment.

IC organizations urge a change in respiratory protection guidelines

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Three leading IC organizations, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and APIC, issued a letter to President Obama on Friday, urging a change in respiratory protection regulations, including an immediate moratorium on OSHA enforcement on current requirements.

Health experts in the three organizations argued that the current CDC guidelines do not reflect the best scientific evidence, after authors of an Australian study retracted their findings.

States such as Ohio have already adjusted state requirements to allow hospitals to use surgical masks rather than N95 respirators. Take our poll on OSHA Healthcare Advisor and tell us whether or not you trust the CDC guidelines.

Infection prevention measurements added to Minnesota quality site

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

The Minnesota Hospital Association has added three new infection prevention measurements to its Minnesota Quality Report, a publicly accessed Web site that allows patients to compare information from hospitals throughout the state.

In addition to information on surgical care, pneumonia, heart failure, and heart attacks, the Web site now includes data regarding central line infection prevention bundle compliance, ventilator associated pneumonia bundle compliance, and surgical site infection prevention compliance.

"This information allows consumers to easily see how Minnesota hospitals have worked to prevent infections -- in the operating room, at patients’ bedsides and elsewhere in the hospital," Minnesota Hospital Association President and CEO Lawrence Massa said in a press release. "The initiative demonstrates our hospitals’ commitment to transparency and their continued leadership in safety and quality."

Demand for H1N1 shots shuts down flu hotline

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Before flu season came into full effect, many medical facilities established telephone hotlines to mitigate a surge of flu patients and worried well.

However, the slow arrival of H1N1 vaccines, coupled with and increasingly frantic public, even phone lines can’t quell the demand. One Minneapolis clinic had to shut down their hotline after an announcement of vaccines elicited 120,000 calls in four hours.

IC blogger Peg Luebbert discusses how to handle a high demand of flu shots and the best approach to announcing the arrival of H1N1 shots on OSHA Healthcare Advisor.

N95 protection findings retracted

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:00 GMT

A surprising endnote at the annual meeting of the Infection Diseases Society of America (IDSA) came as a shock to experts at the conference. IDSA announced that authors had retracted findings of a study that found N95 respirators were better than surgical masks at preventing influenza, according to Medpage Today.

The study was presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in September and helped form the basis of the CDC’s finalized guidance for the use of masks in healthcare facilities.

For more on the retraction and the continued N95 debate, visit OSHA Healthcare Advisor.

New York requires flu vaccines for healthcare workers

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:50:00 GMT

As medical facilities around the country begin their flu vaccination programs, IPs and employee health directors simultaneously struggle to find ways to convince frontline staff members to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine.
But some hospitals have quit trying to convince healthcare workers and moved straight to requiring them to get immunized.

Bringing down infection rates quickly

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:42:00 GMT

On June 31, the New York State Health Department released a report detailing the HAI rates of hospitals in New York for 2008. SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, NY, reported an alarming infection rate in the medical-surgical ICU. According to the report, University had a central line–associated bloodstream infection rate of 8.3 per 1,000 patient days in that particular ICU during the previous year. The state average in New York was 2.3.

New York changes tune on mandatory flu shots

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Almost as quickly as the emergency regulation was created, New York has suspended mandatory influenza vaccines for healthcare workers.

The reversal has more to do with the shortage of the H1N1 vaccine than with opposition from healthcare workers and legal challenges, according to The New York Times, October 22.
The state now advises healthcare facilities to vaccinate patients first; healthcare workers come later (see Weekly Poll below), the Times reports.

Read more at “NY lifts required flu vaccinations for healthcare workers.”

Hand hygiene fun and games

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

With Joint Commission standards focusing intently on increased hand hygiene compliance, many facilities are searching for programs that will significantly impact front-line staff members.

Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston has begun a program to increase hand hygiene compliance from 80%-90%, which includes public reporting and bowling themed incentives. Read more at OSHA Healthcare Advisor.

CMS clarifies flash sterilization requirements

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Last week CMS clarified its position on flash sterilization in ambulatory surgery centers, indicating that routine flash sterilization is acceptable as long as the load is wrapped and the facility follows manufacturer’s instructions for each device.

This week on OSHA Healthcare Advisor, Peg Luebbert discusses the clarification and some of the questions IC surveyors will be asking.

Mandatory flu shots temporarily restrained in New York

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. McNamara issued a temporary restraining order on the New York State mandate that requires healthcare workers to receive seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccinations.

The decision came from a case brought by attorney Terence L. Kindlon on behalf of three registered nurses in Albany. A hearing is scheduled for October 30.

Visit OSHA Healthcare Advisor to read about some of the legal precedent that could impact this hearing.

Small healthcare entities may be exempt from Red Flags Rule

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:52:00 GMT

The House of Representatives filed a bill October 8 that would exempt “a healthcare practice with 20 or fewer employees” from the FTC’s Red Flags Rule requirement.

The Red Flags Rule, which will be enforced beginning November 1, requires healthcare entities considered to be “creditors” to implement an identity theft prevention program.

Further, the bill lets off the hook an entity that:

Knows all of its customers or clients individually
Only performs services in or around the residences of its customers
Has not experienced incidents of identity theft and identity theft is rare for businesses of that type

The FTC would determine if a business meets these criteria.

Congressman John Herbert Adler (D-NJ), Paul Collins Broun, Jr. (R-GA), and Mike Simpson (R-ID) filed the bill.

In case the Red Flags Rule has fallen off your radar, start compliance efforts here.

Lawsuits filed to stop H1N1 vaccine

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Two separate lawsuits have been filed in relation to H1N1 vaccinations. One, filed on behalf of a nurse in New York, aims to fight the requirement that NY healthcare workers receive both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines. The other, filed against the FDA, attempts to halt the distribution of H1N1 vaccines altogether.

To read more about these lawsuits and whether they carry any weight, read the featured post on OSHA Healthcare Advisor.

Quarantine rules clarified in MA

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Last week the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a law 113-36 that updates emergency regulations that were largely untouched for decades, according to The Boston Globe.

Massachusetts governors and public health commissioners have always possessed various powers during health emergencies, including the authority to quarantine people suffering from communicable diseases.

The September 11, 2001, attacks exposed gaps in these laws, and H1N1 outbreaks in April further demonstrated the need to revise the emergency powers. Those concerned about required flu shots protested the regulation, although the law specifically forbids forced vaccination, but allows health officials to quarantine people who decline vaccines during extraordinary health emergencies.

Do you think the state should have this power? Weigh in on the poll at OSHA Healthcare Advisor.

H1N1 update from the field

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

Some hospitals and outpatient facilities are still struggling to establish proper infection control and employee health protocols for protection against H1N1, particularly in relation to N95 respirators and isolation precautions.

Nebraska has already seen quite a few cases of H1N1. IC blogger Peg Luebbert, an infection prevention consultant in Omaha, NE, discusses some of the problems and solutions she has seen so far in the featured post on OSHA Healthcare Advisor.

Study says hospital beds could run low

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:00:00 GMT

A study released by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) shows that if 35% of Americans got sick from H1N1, 15 states could run out of available hospital beds. Twelve additional states could reach or exceed 75% of their hospital bed capacity, according to the report.

The TFAH Web site provides specific projections for each state. If 35% of Americans get H1N1, 12.9 million could become infected in California compared to186,434 in Wyoming.

Protecting your work force from MDRO infections

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:58:00 GMT

In recent years, MDROs have come under increased scrutiny, particularly in hospitals. As more infections become progressively resistant to antibiotics, the need to prevent and control these infections in other ways increases.

Because of The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals (NPSG), specifically NPSG.07.03.01, which focuses on MDRO prevention, hospitals are well aware of the dangers these resistant organisms pose to susceptible patients.