Insights on Infection Control

Screening for C. difficile Upon Admission

Linda Jones — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:45:00 GMT

Wouldn't it be great if you could stop the spread of C. difficile at the front door? Since carriers can be asymptomatic it can be challenging to initiate the correct precautions without first identifying carriers. A new study attempted to identify whether...(read more)

Hand Hygien & the Soap vs. ABHR Debate

Barbara Smith — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:56:00 GMT

On Tuesday, I led a workshop with 50 healthcare workers from 4 different facilities. There were nurses, attendants, transporters, environmental services workers and infection preventionists. They came from critical care units, nurseries, clinics and med...(read more)

Safe Hospitals Include Infection Prevention

Barbara Smith — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:32:00 GMT

Since the median age of nurses in the United States is estimated to be 46 years, many of us are familiar with American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)-even if we are not members. This month's journal had an article titled The Top Hospitals for Safety....(read more)

CRE: The Nightmare Bacteria

Barbara Smith — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:06:00 GMT

Linda had a great yet possibly scary post on March 7 about resistant gram-negative bacteria. The post referred to the organisms as super bugs, although the technical term is CRE. It referenced the likelihood that once people are colonized with these organisms...(read more)

Providing Healthcare & Handiwork in Haiti

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:57:00 GMT

Today, John Haberstock and I headed to Dufort, Haiti, to work with the two volunteer doctors from the United States and Dr. Louie, the Haitian clinician who works with Heart to Heart. We drove to the clinic through an area that looked like a jungle with...(read more)

Progress in Haiti Healthcare

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:50:00 GMT

Today we worked at a clinic in Bel Air, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, which is close to the former palace. I was struck by the progress and poverty in the region. First the progress: When I first came to Haiti in January 2010, one...(read more)

Building a Future of Healthcare in Haiti

Linda Jones — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:11:00 GMT

The Welch Allyn crew had another full day in Léogâne. We split up and my colleague from Beaverton, Ore., Carolyn Pace, came with me to the clinic in Place d'or, which means, "The place of gold." We set up inside a partially completed church with two American...(read more)

Providing Care in Haiti to More Than 60 Patients in One Day

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:12:00 GMT

Our team in Léogâne consists of 10 amazing people who, despite not having any hot running water and sharing only one bathroom, continue to give all they can to help the Haitian people. Jim Colvin and some other members of our group are helping to finish...(read more)

Welch Allyn Employees Return to Haiti

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:42:00 GMT

When I arrived in Haiti on Sunday (March 17, 2013), I began to think about the experience I had when I was here a few years ago , one month after the earthquake. There was total devastation and destruction in a country that had already suffered many blows...(read more)

Facemasks for All to Prevent the Spread of Infection

Linda Jones — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:38:00 GMT

Who was that masked man?! Maybe just someone hoping not to get sick. Within the healthcare system, employees, and sometimes visitors, wear facemasks if they will encounter someone who is highly contagious with a serious airborne illness. This is a proven...(read more)

Surveys Indicate Concern About Infection

Linda Jones — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:04:00 GMT

Two surveys released recently, one from APIC and one conducted at AORN, illustrate the need for more effort to reduce the risk of infection in various settings. C. Diff Prevention Efforts Not Enough According to a nationwide survey of infection preventionists...(read more)

How Can We Reduce Risks & Improve Patient Safety?

Barbara Smith — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:24:00 GMT

While on vacation last week, our hotel served a buffet style breakfast. My husband usually shies away from these buffets because he doesn't trust all the people poking around his food. But the hotel put a safeguard in place. One of the waiters was stationed...(read more)

Superbug CRE May Endure in Patients One Year After Initial Infection

Linda Jones — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:21:00 GMT

Patients who tested positive for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) took an average of 387 days following hospital discharge to be clear of the organism, according to a new study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection...(read more)

Infection Preventionists Not Benefiting From Health Information Exchanges

Linda Jones — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:59:00 GMT

Anyone in healthcare is aware of recent initiatives from CMS and CDC to increase the use of medical health records (and use the data) and to decrease infections. And one would image you could use the former to achieve the latter. But a new study from...(read more)

Salmonellae-Peanut Butter Report Issued

Barbara Smith — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:47:00 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration along with the CDC recently finalized their report on an outbreak of Salmonella linked to peanut butter - of all things! The outbreak began in September 2011 and eventually involved 42 people in 20 states both on the East...(read more)