The Food and Drug Administration has warned nurses, infection control staff and other caregivers to examine their medical bed mattress covers. Damaged or worn covers can allow blood and body fluids to penetrate the mattress, causing an infection risk. Mattresses can be alternating pressure, non-powered flotation mattresses, or mattresses that are part of hospital beds.
April 01, 2013
We use gait belts at my building. We assign a gait belt to an aide who uses them the entire shift. Do you think with all of the infection prevention techniques we should change our policy?
Long-term care operators and other healthcare providers are having limited success in combating Clostridium difficile infections, despite increasing their efforts in the last three years, according to recently released survey results.
March 01, 2013
Providers must keep caregiving environments impeccably clean — removing bugs and germs (both seen and unseen) and other threatening elements
Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA-MRSA) was discovered in nearly 91% of nursing homes tested in a recent study.
A new study of provider practices found that multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii was found in hospital rooms even after they were cleaned, according to a study in the December issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
November 20, 2012
If there's one topic where I feel that healthcare publications tend to repeat themselves, it's around infection control.
Researchers say they nearly eliminated deadly antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a study encompassing 50 patient rooms at two medical facilities by using a specific spectrum of ultraviolet light.
Financial penalties did not reduce healthcare facility-acquired infections in acute-care settings, a new study finds. Researchers say harsher sanctions might help.
July 30, 2012
Basic infection prevention and control isn't rocket science. It is essentially following some general guidelines. Some of them pretty simplistic. Not too hard right? You would think, but ...
November 07, 2011
Nursing homes need to improve communications processes and policies to make it easier for nurses to disclose errors, according to researchers of a unique new study. The researchers say their findings have implications for nursing policy and education, as well as resident safety.
A University of Georgia researcher has laid claim to developing an application that can make any material permanently germ-free. This breakthrough could dramatically reduce infection rates and illness rates in eldercare settings. That's because the product could be applied to products as diverse as bed linens, draperies, or anything made from metal or plastic. Jason Locklin, Ph.D., invented the treatment, which can be applied during the manufacturing process. Locklin said that his application does not wash out or require reapplications. He noted that the technology has been tested against several pathogens typically found in long-term care settings, including staph, strep, E. coli and pseudomonas.
February 02, 2011
An infection control program developed by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has helped lower death rates in hospital intensive care units by 10%, experts say. A Thompson/Reuters analysis of the program, which could be adapted for other healthcare settings, asserts it could save $3.6 trillion in waste over 10 years if it becomes more widely used.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Tuesday issued proposed guidance that would update and replace previous inflection control guidance for the seasonal and H1N1 flu.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently modified its infection control guidance concerning C. difficile. The update corrects certain information from a Nov. 30 update.
November 24, 2009
If a case of H1N1 ends up in your long-term care facility, there are actions you can take to prevent the flu from spreading throughout the building.
August 19, 2009
Information about implementing an infection prevention program, recognizing and containing outbreaks, and proper handling of linens are all part of revised guidance for F-tag 441.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently released final changes regarding certain guidance governing infection control in long-term care facilities. The formal effective date for the revised guidance is Sept. 30, 2009.
The National Association Directors of Nursing Administration/Long Term Care (NADONA) is teaming up with a skin care company to explore the impact of hand sanitizers on infection rates in long-term care environments.
Nearly one in every four nursing home residents has been colonized by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a recently published report from Queen's University Belfast.
Instances of deadly pneumonia associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection are on the rise. While the majority of cases still occur in nursing homes and hospitals, the super bug now appears to be thriving in the community at large, according to new reports.
The World Health Organization has released a new report, "Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care," which target administrators, public health officials and healthcare workers.
A recent Canadian study finds that methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and C. difficile can be transferred between long-term care residents and therapy dogs, opening a new possible avenue for infection.
A council of long-term care professionals has issued guidelines for dealing with suspected or actual outbreaks of H1N1, or swine flu. The recommendations came out late last week, just hours before the first suspected cases of the flu at nursing facilities began to surface.
May 01, 2009
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released interim guidance for healthcare facilities, including long-term care, for care of residents with confirmed or suspected swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus.
The Senate late Tuesday confirmed Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The approval comes as the country grapples with a growing swine flu threat.
April 28, 2009
Swine flu has not, so far, affected residents or employees of nursing homes. Still, the long-term care community is staying abreast of the latest developments and information regarding the potentially deadly virus.
The Joint Commission this week released a document to help healthcare workers, including those in long-term care, measure hand hygiene compliance.
Multi-drug resistant gram-negative (MDRGN) bacteria could be overtaking methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas (MRSA) as the number-one source of treatment-resistant infections in long-term care facilities, a recent report suggests.
