According to the Centers for Disease Control, Hospital acquired infections (HAIs), including the infections caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), are costing hospitals more than $30 billion per year. New federal health care rules are also reducing reimbursements to hospitals for HAI treatment. Studies show that nasal carriage plays a major role in HAI and […]

Antibiotic resistance and development of antibiotic stewardship programs are ongoing issues for healthcare providers. The annual  “Get Smart about Antibiotics Week” developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other partners highlights events, educational resources, and a spotlight for organizations to coordinate strategies around stewardship programs and the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Press Release […]

While the incidence of the most common strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections has decreased in hospital-onset cases, new research shows that it has failed to decline in the general community, as evidenced from the study in The Journal of Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. MRSA infections are an ongoing issue in healthcare settings, but the […]

by Phenelle SegalDespite significant advances in the reduction of healthcare-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the process for prevention of transmission remains tedious, time consuming, demanding of healthcare personnel, costly and, oftentimes, unsuccessful. The traditional approach to prevention of transmission of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) has included screening for colonization (e.g., MRSA screening of the […]

Daily monitoring of patients receiving antimicrobial injections targeting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is associated with improved clinical outcomes, according to a study published online in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. The study included daily reviews of prescriptions and the review occurred within 24 hours after initiation of therapy. The researchers found that implementation of daily review correlated […]

Staphylococcus is a group of bacteria some of which can cause a number of diseases as a result of infection of various tissues of the body. Infections can be caused by a particular type of Staphylococci called Staphylococcus aureus. Illnesses and infections that are Staph-related illness can fall into a spectrum of mild to severe and possibly […]

Press Release from APIC – 1/20/2016Only 17.4 percent of ambulatory care nurses reported compliance in all nine standard precautions for infection prevention, according to a study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).Researchers from Northwell Health (formerly North Shore […]

The Joint Commission has developed two new resources to help healthcare providers in their efforts to reduce patient readmissions and improve the discharge process. The resources are a new Speak Up campaign for providers and organizations to educate patients, including an infographic, animated video and podcast; and a Quick Safety newsletter for healthcare professionals that […]

Read the Full Study on American Journal of Infection ControlA Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital study found that a small percentage of nursing home patients carrying multidrug-resistant bacteria are admitted to hospitals without showing symptoms caused by the bacteria. The research – published in the American Journal of Infection Control – highlights the […]

Read the full study in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology Patients have difficulty deciphering complex numeric data on healthcare-associated infections used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help consumers choose hospitals, according to a new study published online today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare […]