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 […]

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 American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation, in partnership with the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), released a list of five practices to avoid for better infection prevention and control and safer care as part of the ABIM Foundation’s Choosing Wisely® campaign. The recommendations can support conversations between patients and physicians about what care […]

Bacteria’s ability to become resistant to antibiotics is a growing issue in health care: Resistant strains result in prolonged illnesses and higher mortality rates.One way to combat this is to determine bacteria’s antibiotic resistance in a given patient, but that often takes days — and time is crucial in treatment. ASU scientists have developed a […]

The White House Conference on Aging announced new changes that would make major changes to improve the care and safety of the nearly 1.5 million residents in the more than 15,000 long-term care facilities or nursing homes that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. If finalized, unnecessary hospital readmissions and infections would be reduced, […]

From the Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control The impact of surgical site infections (SSIs) following prosthesis procedures is devastating, often leading to higher mortality, prolonged hospitalizations, frequent readmissions, and increased costs and overall healthcare burden. According to the United States (US) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), SSI rates following total knee or hip arthroplasty procedures […]

For Immediate Release: May 28, 2015 – from SHEA online Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Contact: Kate Enos / kenos@gymr.com / 202-745-5071 Author contact: Mary-Claire Roghmann / mroghman@epi.umaryland.edu High Rates of MRSA Transmission Found Between Nursing Home Residents and Healthcare Workers Study finds transmission rates high in daily activities previously considered low-risk NEW YORK (May […]

Leading infectious diseases experts have released new guidance for healthcare facilities looking to establish precautions for visitors of patients with infectious diseases. The guidance looks to reduce the potential for healthcare visitors in spreading dangerous bacteria within the healthcare facility and community. The recommendations are published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal […]

California Hospital Reports Improved Care and Lower Infection Control Costs after adopting Nonantibiotic Nozin® Nasal Sanitizer® Antiseptic.Marshall Medical Center, a nonprofit, independent health provider in El Dorado County, California, has adopted Nozin® Nasal Sanitizer® antiseptic to reduce the risk of infection while improving quality of care, increasing patient satisfaction and eliminating a major category of […]

In a double-blind, placebo controlled, independent clinical study by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina, Nozin® Nasal Sanitizer® antiseptic was effective in significantly reducing Staph aureus nasal carriage in health care providers (HCPs).  The results demonstrate that the administration of this nonantibiotic antiseptic (Nozin Nasal Sanitizer) was effective in reducing S. aureus and total […]