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 […]
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The Importance of Nasal Decolonization for Infection Control
July 8, 2016Category: Healthcare Professionals, Hospital, Hospital Acquired Infections, Infection Control, Infection Prevention, MRSA, Nasal Decolonization, Nursing, Surgical Site Infections
Tags: Hospital Acquired Infections, MRSA, Nasal Decolonization, Nasal Decolonization with Nozin, Nozin Nasal Sanitizer, Surgical Site Infections | Comments Off on The Importance of Nasal Decolonization for Infection Control
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Universal Versus Targeted Decolonization: Newer Strategies to Prevent Transmission
April 20, 2016by 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 […]
Category: Antibiotic Resistance, Healthcare Professionals, Hospital, Hospital Acquired Infections, Infection Control, Infection Prevention, MRSA, Nursing
Tags: infection control, MRSA, Nasal Decolonization, Nasal Decolonization strategies, Phenelle Segal | Comments Off on Universal Versus Targeted Decolonization: Newer Strategies to Prevent Transmission
Connie Steed, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, has worked in the field of infection prevention and control for over 40 years. Connie’s experience encompasses academic and community acute care hospitals, Long -Term Care Facilities and Ambulatory care. Connie recently retired from her position as Corporate Director of Infection Control for Prisma Health. Connie is currently a consultant specializing in infection prevention and control. She is board certified in Infection Prevention and control (CIC) since 1985 and a Fellow of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). Connie has served APIC as a volunteer leader in multiple capacities including 2020 APIC President. She is published in the field and has presented nationally and internationally. Connie received her Bachelor’s and Master’s in Nursing from Clemson University.
Karen Hoffmann, RN, MS, BSN, CIC, FAPIC, FSHEA, has specialized in infection prevention and control for over 4 decades, serving for 23 years as the Associate Director of the North Carolina Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology (SPICE), and is an adjunct faculty at the University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine. Karen also served as the Infection Preventionist Consultant for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) from 2011 to 2020. She is a Fellow in both the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). In 2019, Karen served as APIC President and has presented nationally and internationally. Karen earned her BS in Nursing from Indiana University and her Master’s in Healthcare Epidemiology from the University of Virginia.