American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Dec 2014
ReviewMiddle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: implications for health care facilities.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a novel coronavirus that causes a severe respiratory disease with high case fatality rate. Starting in March 2014, a dramatic increase of cases has occurred in the Arabian Peninsula, many of which were acquired in health care settings. As of May 9, 2014, 536 laboratory-confirmed cases and 145 deaths have been reported globally. ⋯ There is a need to increase infection control capacity in affected areas and areas at increased risk of being affected to prevent transmission in health care settings. Vaccines and antiviral agents are urgently needed. Overall, our knowledge about the epidemiologic characteristics of MERS-CoV that impact health care transmission is very limited. As the MERS-CoV epidemic continues to evolve, issues concerning best infection control measures will arise, and studies to better define their effectiveness in real life are needed.
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Am J Infect Control · Feb 2014
ReviewScreening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a comparative effectiveness review.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important cause of health care-associated infections. Although the evidence in support of MRSA screening has been promising, a number of questions remain about the effectiveness of active surveillance. ⋯ Although there is low SOE that universal screening of hospital patients decreases MRSA infection, there is insufficient evidence to determine the consequences of universal screening or the effectiveness of other screening strategies.
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Whereas monitoring adherence to hand hygiene (HH) guidelines is standard practice in most acute care facilities, practice improvement has been slow. In hospitals primarily concerned with reputation, incentives to report high HH rates may create negative consequences. Practice change will require increased staff engagement and more sustainable methods to monitor HH and provide feedback.
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Am J Infect Control · May 2013
ReviewDisinfectants used for environmental disinfection and new room decontamination technology.
Environmental contamination plays an important role in the transmission of several key health care-associated pathogens. Effective and thorough cleaning/disinfecting of the patient environment is essential. Room decontamination units (such as ultraviolet-C and hydrogen peroxide systems) aid in reducing environmental contamination after terminal room cleaning and disinfection.
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Am J Infect Control · May 2013
ReviewAssessing the risk of disease transmission to patients when there is a failure to follow recommended disinfection and sterilization guidelines.
Medical devices that enter body tissues should be sterile, whereas devices that contact mucous membranes should be high-level disinfected between patients. Failure to ensure proper cleaning and sterilization or disinfection may lead to patient-to-patient transmission of pathogens. This paper describes a protocol that can guide an institution in managing potential disinfection and sterilization failures.