Healthcare-Associated Infections

Infection control is challenging and represents a considerable healthcare burden. With the arrival of high risk multiresistant pathogenic bacteria, healthcare-associated infections are a serious problem, especially in the hospital environment. An expert committee appointed by the UK government predicted recently that... 

Loveday HP, Wilson JA, Pratt RJ, Golsorkhi M, Tingle A, Bak A, et al. National evidence-based guidelines for preventing healthcare-associated infections in NHS hospitals in England. J Hospital Infection 2014 86(S1) S1-S70. 

Smyth, B.T., Mcllvenny, G., Bnstone, J.B. etal. (2008) Four country healthcare associated infection prevalence survey 2006 overview of the results. Journal of Hospital Infection, 69(3), 230-248. 

Pittet, D., Allegranzi, B., Sax, H.,et al. (2005) Considerations for a WHO European strategy on healthcare-associated infection, surveillance, and control. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 5(4), 242-250. 

Peter Hoffinan. Clinical Scientist. Laboratory of Healthcare-associated Infection. Health Protection Agency. 

Guideline-Management of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Healthcare Settings (2006) Public Reporting of Healthcare-Associated Infections (2005)... 

Hospitals and providers must work to reduce the burden of these infections. Four specific infections account for more than 80% of all hospital-related infections. Their list includes surgical site infections (SSls), catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTIs), central venous catheter (CVC)-related bloodstream infections (CRBSls), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Preventing the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA has become increasingly important. Effective measures exist to prevent the most common healthcare-associated infections (H Als). 

Making Health Care Safer H An Updated Critical Analysis of the Evidence for Patient Safety Practices is the result of a panel of patient safety experts who assessed the evidence behind 41 patient safety strategies and identified 10 strategies that health systems should adopt now. The strategies can help prevent harmfnl events snch as med errors, bedsores, and healthcare-associated infections. Making Health Care Safer II npdates Evidence-based Practice Center report ( 43), which was published in 2001 and provided the first systematic assessment of patient safety practices. 

HHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel describes an initiative of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve vaccination rates for influenza among healthcare workers. 

Eells SJ, McKinnell JA, Wang AA, Green NL, Whang D, O Hara R Brown ML, Miller LG. A comparison of clinical outcomes between healthcare-associated infections due to community-assoeiated methieillin-resistant5tap/ /ococctw aureus strains and healthcare-associated meth-icillin-resistant 5. aureus strains. Epidemiol Infect. 2013 141(10) 2140 8. 

Umscheid CA, et ab Estimating the proportion of healthcare-associated infections that are reasonably preventable and the related mortality and costs. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2011 32 101 114. 

Yokoe DS, et al A compendium of strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2008 29(suppl 1) S12-S21. 

Bren V. et al Getting to zero outpatient hemodialysis catheter-associated bloodstream infections in Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections. Atlanta, March 2010. 

WIUFF C, MALCOLM W, WILSON J, CROMWELL T, BENNIE M and EASTAWAY A (2010), The Annual Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infection Report January - December 2009, Health Protection Scotland, Glasgow. 

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