MRSA, Mersa, Staph, Staff Infection, Treatment & Symptoms

Washable keyboards help cut cost of MRSA Infection Control

Unotron's Affordable Washable Computer Keyboards and Mice Blunt Exorbitant Expenses of One Superbug Infection as Reported by Duke Research - Yahoo! Finance.

There’s now a strong financial reason for health care organizations to introduce our reasonably priced products, given the Duke report of seven hospitals and health facilities which shows that taking action, even expensive action, to fight infections can save money,” says Joseph Carabello, CEO of Unotron. (www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0008305) Carabello also cites several separate studies which confirmed disinfection procedures of Unotron’s patented SpillSeal® washable computer keyboards and reported that a kill rate of 100 percent can be achieved using disinfectant spray products.

Nurse-patient relationships can reduce infections

Nurse-patient relationships can reduce infections | News | Nursing Times.

Nurses are being urged to use the close relationships they form with patients to help make them feel more at ease about challenging other staff about hand hygiene. The advice is being issued in light of evidence suggesting that a national campaign has made little difference to the number of patients asking staff to clean their hands. Fewer than half - 47 per cent - of respondents to a survey assessing the Clean Your Hands campaign said it had encouraged patients to confront staff 18 months after it was launched, compared with 46 per cent six months after rollout.

New Research Shows Patients Have Role in Promoting Hand Hygiene Among Clinicians

New Research Shows Patients Have Role in Promoting Hand Hygiene Among Clinicians.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Catholic Healthcare Partners (CHP) and the Premier healthcare alliance today released research showing that a video can be an effective tool for encouraging patients to remind healthcare staff to wash their hands. The research tested the effectiveness of a CDC video called “Hand Hygiene Saves Lives.” The video encourages patients, family and visitors to play a role in their own care by helping healthcare professionals remember to clean their hands before and after touching patients. After the video was shown to patients in 17 CHP facilities, patients were twice as likely to report reminding nurses to wash their hands, and doctors were twice as likely to report being asked by patients to wash their hands.

Mandatory hand washing in schools cuts infection - why not hospitals?

Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention: Why can't we do this in hospitals?.

Wouldn't it be interesting if we could get all health care workers to wash their hands when they come to work, before lunch and before they go home? We could at least be sure that they all washed their hands 3x/day! Would it work? Who knows, but a study done in Denmark by Inge Nandrup-Bus did just that in school children ages 5-15 (AJIC December 2009) and reported significant reductions in absenteeism in the intervention school versus the control school during a wintertime 3-month pilot study. Now, I have some issues with the methods (you can't really randomize only two hospitals, for instance), but all pilot studies can be criticized. At the intervention school all pupils were required to wash their hands when they arrived, before lunch and before they left school for home. All students in the intervention also received 2 lessons in theoretical and practical hand hygiene. Each sink hand a poster above it with proper step-by-step techniques displayed and all students were tracked for 5 types of absenteeism: URI, GI infection, skin infection, other infections and non-infectious reasons. The multivariate analysis showed that the intervention was associated with fewer absences (0.97 vs. 1.24 periods) and fewer days missed (1.95 vs. 2.65 days).

One mrsa infection costs hospital $60,000

One superbug infection costs hospital $60,000: study | Reuters.

Their study of seven hospitals and health facilities shows that taking action, even expensive action, to fight infections can save money, the researchers at Duke University in North Carolina said.  "Our estimates of the financial burden of surgical site infections due to MRSA are unique," Deverick Anderson of Duke University Medical Center and colleagues wrote. "Surgical site infections due to MRSA led to a 7-fold increased risk of death, a 35-fold increased risk of hospital readmission, more than 3 weeks of additional hospitalization, and more than $60,000 of additional charges compared to uninfected controls."

The power of positive deviants in reducing MRSA

The power of positive deviants - The Boston Globe.

Previous tactics to reduce MRSA rates consisted of educational campaigns, posters, pamphlets, and lectures. In 2004, Lloyd came across an article about the Sternins in Fast Company and instantly thought to borrow their brainchild. In 2006, pilot projects were launched at six American hospitals, including Billings Clinic in Montana and Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. By 2008, all of these hospitals had demonstrated remarkable success. According to data from the Plexus Institute, a nonprofit that collaborated on the initiative, reduction rates ranged from 32 percent to 83 percent. Since then, about 30 more US hospitals have introduced positive deviance inquiries. At Albert Einstein, for example, a patient transporter named Jasper Palmer had a technique for removing his gown, balling it up into a small package, and stuffing it inside his inverted gloves for disposal. A highly effective way of thwarting germs, it has since been deemed the Palmer method and widely adopted. The hierarchies reportedly lessened their hold in other ways, too: Nurses, for instance, began to feel more comfortable reminding doctors to wash their hands. “They’ll walk up and say, ‘Here, let me help you, let me squirt some Purell on your hands’,” says Lloyd, who is now a senior clinical adviser at the Plexus Institute.

Software helps fight MRSA

Software helps fight superbugs - technology | Stuff.co.nz.

Hospitals can now use computer software to help them stop the spread of infection. The ICNet software pulls information from various hospital systems such as laboratory and patient administration software, and flags possible outbreaks of infection quickly to help hospital staff manage them, says Mark Cox, director of the software's New Zealand reseller, Sysmex. For example, a patient who has undergone an operation could develop a superbug, and "his room-mates may have long gone to other wards or been discharged. Yet they may have the infection or spread the infection". ICNet will alert staff to the possible outbreak and identify where the patients are in the hospital.

Infection control must be part of ethos of all health care providers, not just hospitals

Health Issue 21 - Foreword: Nigel Edwards, Policy Director, NHS Confederation - Public Service.

Nevertheless, we are learning that tackling HCAIs for the long term means applying effective prevention and control of infection in the normal practice of all care providers. It is important to work across the healthcare system and gain control within each facility and between providers. Infection is often a cause of illness in care home residents and may result in avoidable admissions to hospital. There is a current consultation on policy guidance to extend the Code of Practice to cover NHS, independent healthcare and adult social care sectors. The draft guidance has useful pointers and clear guidance for issues that providers may face bringing about the changes in day-to-day practice that will pay off in terms of improved patient care and cost-effectiveness. Regardless of the challenges of implementing guidance such as that in a new code, as a health community it is imperative that we recognise that infection control, as with other patient safety issues, is a precondition for delivering high-quality care. By fostering a healthy culture of communication and cooperation within hospitals and care homes we can make a significant contribution. Given its profile and importance to patients and service users, there is no alternative but to work collectively to build on achievements in tackling infections now and in the future.

Mass. hospitals make headway on patient infections

Mass. hospitals make headway on patient infections - The Boston Globe.

Massachusetts’ largest hospitals say they have significantly cut the number of patients who acquire painful, costly, and sometimes deadly infections in their operating suites and intensive care units, suggesting that pressure from government regulators and patient groups, as well as a shift in doctors’ attitudes, is starting to make medical care safer. Several academic medical centers in Boston said the number of ICU patients contracting bloodstream infections had dropped by at least half in the past several years because of new procedures to keep intravenous lines and other tubes cleaner. Hospitals also said they have reduced the number of patients on respirators who develop pneumonia - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center said so few patients now get this type of infection that the hospital was able to cancel plans to expand its ICU.

Infection Prevention: Book highlights why many strategies needed

More at: Controversies in Hospital Infection Prevention: SuperFreakonomics and the hospital epidemiologist.

By this they mean that the doctor bears little risk personally when he or she is noncompliant with hand hygiene and thus the doctor has little incentive to comply. So far, so good. But then they downplay trying to change behavior in favor of solutions that bypass the need for change in behavior (e.g., antimicrobial impregnated products). I think the answer is both behavior change and non-behavioral solutions are required since there aren't enough of the latter to overcome dirty hands. I was particularly happy that they advised doctors to stop wearing neckties to improve infection control

1 in 8 trusts still failing infection control standards

Patients in half of trusts 'still struggle to see their GP' - Telegraph.

One in eight trusts are still failing infection control measures the regulator’s annual report also shows, despite rates of hospital superbugs like MRSA falling.

Medicos and engineering students to fight high Indian MRSA infection rates

Medicos and engineering students join hands for research - Chennai - City - The Times of India.

A recent study by Dr Dilip Mathai, head of department of internal medicine, Christian Medical College, Vellore showed that one in four persons admitted to a hospital can acquire infections from the hospital. His study showed 33-44% of the patients admitted to Indian hospitals had MRSA in the blood stream. "No one knows whether they got it in the hospital or they bought it in with them. But it certainly is there in the hospital environment. But studies conducted in several countries showed that these bacteria are carried around by doctor's coats, ties and accessories," says Dr Rosy Vennilla, microbiologist, Stanley Medical College Hospital. For the last few months, students have been identifying sources of these clusters and collecting them. "They have drawn them from everywhere in the hospital. From bedspreads, equipment, clothes of doctors and nurses," she says. These samples would be taken to IIT-Madras, where associate professor R S Verma, department of biotechnology will guide engineering students to isolate them for genetic and molecular characterizations.

Healthcare associated infections in UK

Healthcare associated infections -- Voss 339: b3721 -- BMJ.

In Europe about 7% of patients in hospital develop healthcare associated infections.1 The associated financial burden of these infections for the United Kingdom is estimated to be £1-11bn ({euro}1.1-12.6bn; $1.6-18bn). 2 3 Current policies aim for, perhaps unrealistically, 100% prevention. The British Medical Association recently published guidelines on how to tackle healthcare associated infections, and set priorities for action.4 The most important changes in the guidelines are the shift from policies dealing with micro-organisms (especially meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium difficile) to policies aimed at reducing rates of healthcare associated infections (such as surgical site infections, ventilator associated pneumonia, and urinary tract infections) and changing behaviour. How the suggested interventions are understood and implemented by health professionals is critical in determining whether they will be successful. Although interventions to improve patients’ safety may seem simple (see box) it is non-compliance with the interventions that is the problem.

US Hospitals stepping up MRSA action

'08 in review: New hospital on horizon helps Mercy's outlook - Local - Merced Sun-Star.

Throughout the United States, MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a difficult-to-treat infection in humans. Many people who get it end up dying from it. In Merced, MRSA was showing up more and more in hospital patients, so Mercy's infection control experts put new regulations into effect to stop the infection before it got started. Mars Leffard, the critical care director for Mercy, said the No. 1 way to stop the MRSA bug is to wash hands. "We have added 40 to 50 more hand sanitizers throughout the hospital," Leffard said. In addition, every patient admitted to either the critical care unit or the intensive care unit is tested for MRSA. Patients can harbor the disease with no symptoms, Leffard said, but they can still shed the virus to others. Plus a compromised immune system can knock down a person's resistance to the nasty bug. Although staff and patients are urged to keep their hands clean, hospital visitors aren't immune. "If you visit here, you are going to wash your hands," Leffard said.

Hospitals fail to pass latest superbug hygiene test

Hospitals fail to pass latest superbug hygiene test - Times Online.

Nine out of ten NHS hospitals in England are still not fully compliant with hygiene standards that came into effect more than two years ago. Despite political pressure to cut the number of infections due to MRSA and Clostridium difficile, some trusts still fail to keep wards consistently clean, or isolate sick patients to prevent infections spreading, the Healthcare Commission said. Spot checks suggest that many hospitals may struggle to register with the Care Quality Commission, which will take over as the regulator for health and social care next year. Hospital trusts will have to prove that they are able to manage healthcare-associated infections if they wish to avoid fines or temporary ward closures. The Healthcare Commission carried out unannounced inspections at 51 acute NHS trusts in England, representing about 30 per cent of all hospitals. Only five trusts met all requirements of the hygiene code. While only 3 per cent of lapses represented an immediate risk, the commission said that almost all trusts had more work to do.

Overcrowding Depresses Nursing Staff

Overcrowding in Hospital Wards as a Predictor of Antidepressant Treatment Among Hospital Staff -- Virtanen et al. 165 (11): 1482 -- Am J Psychiatry.

Exposure over 6 months to an average bed occupancy rate over 10% in excess of the recommended limit was associated with new antidepressant treatment. This association followed a dose-response pattern, with increasing bed occupancy associated with an increasing likelihood of antidepressant use. There was no evidence of reverse causality; antidepressant treatment among employees did not predict subsequent excess bed occupancy. CONCLUSIONS: The increased risk of antidepressant use observed in this study suggests that overcrowding in hospital wards may have an adverse effect on the mental health of staff.

Grady Memorial Hospital recognizes employees for MRSA action

Chickashanews.com - Grady Memorial Hosptial recognizes employees for performance initiatives.

Grady received a Regional MRSA Infection Control Award in recognition of Improvement Performance in Hand Hygiene and Use of Barrier Protection. This award was based on observational data documenting appropriate hand hygiene (based on CDC guidelines) prior to and following patient contact. Barrier Protection is based on observational data documenting appropriate use of gowns & gloves (based on CDC guidelines) prior to and following contact with patients in contact isolation.

Single room isolation - best practice

Single room isolation to prevent the transmission of infection: development of a patient journey tool to support safe practice -- Kilpatrick et al. 9 (6): 19 -- British Journal of Infection Control.

The use of single room isolation is part of TBPs and is a cornerstone of hospital infection prevention and control practice. However, successfully implementing TBPs, including single room isolation, continues to be a challenge in the UK for a number of reasons. Effective approaches to increasing the quality and safety of patient care are increasingly based on utilising simple tools that increase the likelihood that care will be provided in a reliable way. The tool presented is intended to facilitate both learning and practice in relation to TBPs and to promote the delivery of safe patient care in relation to single room isolation. It is designed for use in those situations when a single room is available for patient isolation. It also highlights the other important TBPs to be taken to prevent the spread of infection, whether or not a single room is available. It can be adapted for use with any organism or disease for which TBPs are recommended. At a time when healthcare associated infections (HCAI) such as Clostridium difficile and meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continue to have an impact on both acute and community care settings, and their reduction is embedded within national targets for NHS healthcare providers, tools that make it easy for healthcare workers to apply safe practices within their daily routines are essential. Initial testing suggests that this tool is acceptable to healthcare workers and further study will identify its potential contribution to healthcare workers' knowledge and practice in this area.

The changing role of Infection Control

ICT Blog.

APIC announced today a two-year study that aims to document the changing role of infection preventionists. The Columbia University School of Nursing has teamed up with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology to design a study to evaluate the effects of the California Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Initiative (CHAIPI) on infection control procedures, infection rates, and changes in the roles of infection prevention staff. According to its mission statement, CHAIPI seeks to reduce and eliminate healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) through clinical and technological innovation; the purpose of CHAIPI is to reduce unnecessary morbidity, mortality and costs associated with HAIs in California hospitals. The study hopes to assemble data to better understand what specific institutional, procedural and technological innovations can assist healthcare providers to reduce and eliminate morbidity, mortality, and the high costs associated with HAIs. The research team will compare CHAIPI and non-CHAIPI hospitals, as well as provide an overall picture of infection prevention programs in California via a pre- and post-survey design. The design will permit evaluation of changes in infection preventionists’ roles as well as infection prevention and control programs over the next two years. This study is based on the Prevention of Nosocomial Infections and Cost-Effectiveness (P-NICE) study led by Dr. Patricia Stone.

Canadian hospital contains MRSA outbreak

Link: Peterborough Examiner - Ontario, CA.

There have been no new cases of the bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) at Peterborough Regional Health Centre since an outbreak was discovered last month. Cheryl Johnson, infection control practitioner for the hospital, said patients are no longer being moved off the floor. "It's a positive thing to see that no more cases were yielded with the last test," Johnson said. "So it certainly gives us reason to believe our control measures are doing their job." The last prevalence screen test -- when patients are swabbed for MRSA -- was done on Tuesday and confirmed there are no new cases. PRHC confirmed the outbreak of eight MRSA cases on July 30. The outbreak was confined to one unit, which stopped accepting new patients, Johnson said. The hospital would not tell the public which unit was infected. "We swab every patient that is on that floor," Johnson said. "We really go looking for it because the key to stopping transmission is knowing where it is so we can put the appropriate precautions in place." Johnson said 15 patients in the unit were swabbed. "We don't swab the patients who are already positive," she said. In the unit, six patients from the original eight are still infected.