American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Sep 2015
Observational StudyHesitation and error: Does product placement in an emergency department influence hand hygiene performance?
Existing research has consistently demonstrated poor compliance by health care workers with hand hygiene standards. This study examined the extent to which incorrect hand hygiene occurred as a result of the inability to easily distinguish between different hand hygiene solutions placed at washbasins. ⋯ The amelioration of causes of error and hesitation by standardization of the appearance and relative positioning of hand hygiene solutions at washbasins may translate in to improved hand hygiene behaviors. Placement of moisturizer at the washbasin may not be essential.
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Hand hygiene is the most important intervention to prevent infection in hospitals. Health care workers should clean their hands at least before and after contact with patients. Hand sanitizer dispensers are important to support hand hygiene because they can be made available throughout hospital units. The aim of this study was to determine whether the usability of sanitizer dispensers correlates with compliance of staff in using the sanitizer in a hospital. This study took place in a Midwest, 404-bed, private, nonprofit community hospital with 15 inpatient care units in addition to several ambulatory units. ⋯ Hand hygiene compliance can be influenced by visibility and accessibility of dispensers. The sanitizer location should be part of multifaceted interventions to improve hand hygiene.
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Am J Infect Control · Sep 2015
Impact of a clinical microbiology-intensive care consulting program in a cardiothoracic intensive care unit.
A preintervention-postintervention study was carried out over a 4-year period to assess the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship intervention, based on clinical microbiologist ward rounds (clinical microbiology-intensive care partnership [CMICP]), at a cardiothoracic intensive care unit. Comparison of clinical data for 37 patients with diagnosis of bacteremia (18 from preintervention period, 19 from postintervention period) revealed that CMICP implementation resulted in (1) significant increase of appropriate empirical treatments (+34%, P = .029), compliance with guidelines (+28%, P = .019), and number of de-escalations (+42%, P = .032); and (2) decrease (average = 2.5 days) in time to optimization of antimicrobial therapy and levofloxacin (Δ 2009-2012 = -74 defined daily dose [DDD]/1,000 bed days) and teicoplanin (Δ 2009-2012 = -28 DDD/1,000 bed days) use.
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Am J Infect Control · Aug 2015
Is the pulsed xenon ultraviolet light no-touch disinfection system effective on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the absence of manual cleaning?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been shown to survive on ambient surfaces for extended periods of time. Leftover MRSA environmental contamination in a hospital room places future patients at risk. Manual disinfection supplemented by pulsed xenon ultraviolet (PX-UV) light disinfection has been shown to greatly decrease the MRSA bioburden in hospital rooms. However, the effect of PX-UV in the absence of manual disinfection has not been evaluated. ⋯ Our study results suggest that PX-UV light effectively reduces MRSA colony counts in the absence of manual disinfection. These findings are important for hospital and environmental services supervisors who plan to adapt new technologies as an adjunct to routine manual disinfection.
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Am J Infect Control · Aug 2015
Ebola virus disease: What clinicians in the United States need to know.
In March 2014 the World Health Organization was notified of an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the forest region of Guinea. As of May 2015, the outbreak had become the most devastating EVD epidemic in history with more than 27,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths. ⋯ Early identification and rapid isolation of patients suspected with EVD is critical to limiting the spread of Ebola virus. Additionally, enhanced understanding of EVD case definitions, clinical presentation, treatment procedures, and infection control strategies will improve the ability of health care workers to provide safe care for patients with EVD.