Healthcare Associated Infection HAI News and Research

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IPs spend more time in collecting and reporting hospital infection data than protecting patients

Collecting and reporting hospital infection data to federal health agencies takes more than 5 hours each day, at the expense of time needed to ensure that frontline healthcare personnel are adhering to basic infection prevention practices such as hand hygiene, according to a recent case study, to be presented on Saturday, June 27 at the 42nd Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

26 Jun 2015

New review highlights strategies to inhibit infections during the laundering process of HCT

Proper laundering and handling are important in achieving and maintaining the hygienically-clean quality of healthcare fabrics and textiles delivered to the point of care, according to a new review that highlights evidence-based strategies to inhibit potentially serious contamination.

19 Jun 2015

TSRI chemists invent scalable method for synthesizing brain-protecting compound

Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute have invented the first practical, scalable method for synthesizing jiadifenolide, a plant-derived molecule that may have powerful brain-protecting properties.

17 Jun 2015

New strategy involving three-pronged approach may keep lung cancer aside

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, responsible for some 1.59 million deaths a year. That figure is due, in part, to the fact that lung cancer often returns after what seems at first to be successful treatment. However, the recurring cancer is often resistant to the chemotherapy and other drugs that originally drove it into remission.

4 Jun 2015

Roche announces FDA 510(k) clearance for cobas HSV 1 and 2 Test

Roche announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has provided 510(k) clearance for the cobas HSV 1 and 2 Test for the direct detection and differentiation of HSV-1 and HSV-2 DNA in anogenital specimens from symptomatic patients. With dual target detection and automation, the cobas HSV 1 and 2 Test provides laboratories with the capability to report up to 94 results in significantly less time than traditional methods and provides a simplified workflow for sample handling in the laboratory.

4 Jun 2015

Bathing patients in common hospital soap can reduce MRSA contamination

Holding hope for a relatively inexpensive way to improve care and prevent the spread of deadly hospital-acquired infections, a new study reports that bathing patients in a common hospital soap, called chlorhexidine, was equally effective in preventing the transmission of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as the common practice of having healthcare workers avoid physical contact with the patients.

14 May 2015

Infectious diseases experts release new guidance to avoid infections during hospital visits

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.

13 Apr 2015

Collaboration between nurses and physicians decreases rates of HAIs in critical care

Collaborative relationships between nurses and physicians decrease rates of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in critical care, according to an article in the April issue of Critical Care Nurse.

2 Apr 2015

Researchers use genetic information to track the fatal spread of multidrug-resistant TB

Scientists have for the first time used DNA sequencing to trace the fatal spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis between patients in the UK.

24 Mar 2015

Scientists use DNA sequencing to trace the spread of drug-resistant TB

Scientists have for the first time used DNA sequencing to trace the fatal spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis between patients in the UK.

24 Mar 2015

Deadly C. difficile affected almost half a million in the U.S over one year

The deadly bug Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infected more than 450,000 people in the U.S in a single year, according to new research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

26 Feb 2015

Hospital treatment far from home: an interview with Paul Lindsell, Managing Director at MindMetre Research

This is a generally accepted piece of received wisdom amongst clinicians and care professionals, which MindMetre validated through a series of qualitative interviews that preceded our quantitative study.

21 Dec 2014

Study shows seasonal flu vaccines may protect individuals against many different viruses

Seasonal flu vaccines may protect individuals not only against the strains of flu they contain but also against many additional types, according to a study published this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

9 Dec 2014

Garmatex, Diagnomics partner to develop healthcare products to prevent hospital-acquired infections

Garmatex Technologies, Inc., a leading inventor of performance fabric and apparel solution-focused technologies, has signed a Letter of Intent ("LOI") for a five year term with Diagnomics Inc., a biotech company that provides next-generation healthcare solutions from personal genomics.

3 Dec 2014

New smartphone app may help improve prescribing of antibiotics within RCSI Hospitals Group

A new smartphone app has been developed by the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) Hospitals Group, in association with the Dublin North East Healthcare-Associated Infection (HCAI) Committee, which will provide healthcare professionals in hospitals within the RCSI Hospitals Group with immediate access to guidelines for antimicrobial prescribing.

27 Nov 2014

University of Vermont Medical Center recognized with 2014 Partnership in Prevention Award

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America today recognized the University of Vermont Medical Center with the 2014 Partnership in Prevention Award for achieving sustainable improvements toward eliminating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

23 Nov 2014

Golden Jubilee National Hospital holds performance review in public

Today, the Golden Jubilee National Hospital held its Annual Review, demonstrating that they have continued to lead the way in safe, effective and person centred care for the NHS in Scotland.

30 Oct 2014

UCSF study: Smoking takes $18.1 billion toll in California

Smoking took an $18.1 billion toll in California – $487 for each resident – and was responsible for more than one in seven deaths in the state, more than from AIDS, influenza, diabetes or many other causes, according to the first comprehensive analysis in more than a decade on the financial and health impacts of tobacco.

16 Oct 2014

Study: H7N9 flu vaccine combined with adjuvant is essential to promote protective immune response

A large, NIH-sponsored clinical trial of an experimental H7N9 avian influenza vaccine found an immune response that was believed to be protective in 59 percent of study participants who received two injections of the inactivated vaccine at the lowest dosage tested when mixed with an adjuvant – a component that boosts the body's immune response and enhances the effectiveness of inactivated influenza vaccines.

8 Oct 2014

C Diff Foundation to present 2014 "Raising C.difficile Awareness" conference in November

C Diff Foundation is proud to present the 2014 "Raising C.difficile Awareness" conference. Join us November 4th at 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Student Center, West 828 S. Wolcott Avenue, Thompson Room, Chicago, IL.

23 Sep 2014