Mitigating Staphylococcus aureus colonization risk at a primary source Protecting patients from healthcare-associated infections (HAI) is a persistent challenge for healthcare professionals. According to a CDC study, about 4% of hospitalized patients develop at least one HAI[1]. Also called nosocomial infections, HAIs can have wide-ranging impacts, affecting everything from patient outcomes to hospital reputation and […]

What is Isolation? In the hospital setting, isolation refers to additional precautions taken to prevent transmission of infectious agents, such as bacteria or viruses, between people. When a patient is placed in hospital isolation, precautions are followed by healthcare staff and visitors to help protect the patient, individuals that have contact with them, and other […]

Clean hands, don gloves, gown and mask.  Treat the patient. Discard gloves, gown and mask using correct process and sequence to avoid hand and clothing contamination. Exit room.  The same patient rings the call bell.  EXHALE.  Re-enter the room.  Repeat the procedure. Anyone experienced with contact precautions (isolation) understands the importance of preventing transmission.  Unfortunately, […]

Baylor Orthopedic and Spine Hospital at Arlington, Texas presented a poster at ID Week 2016: Pre- and Post-Operative Participation of Orthopedic Patients and Surgical Staff in a Novel Intervention to Reduce Staphylococcus aureus Infection. The premise of the poster abstract presentation was “overall reduction of potentially infectious bacteria in the immediate patient environment is critical to effective infection […]

In an article by Sue Barnes, RN, CIC (the former national program leader for infection prevention at Kaiser Permanente) on Infection Control Today, she discusses nasal decolonization and hospital acquired infection prevention and lists out applications and evidence. Nozin® Nasal Sanitizer® antiseptic was one of the products suggested to be considered for nasal decolonization as antimicrobial resistance […]

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 […]

by Phenelle Segal Despite 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]