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New guidelines aim to prevent spread of infectious pathogens among pediatric populations

With the evolving changes in the delivery of healthcare to children worldwide, which frequently include long-distance travel and lodging for specialized medical treatments, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities to release the first-ever infection prevention and control guidelines for "home away from home" pediatric residential facilities to help prevent the spread of infectious pathogens among vulnerable pediatric populations.

19 Sep 2013

Student nurses need better role model for infection prevention and control

100 percent of student nurses surveyed observed lapses in infection prevention and control practices during their clinical placements, according to a British study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

4 Sep 2013

DebMed introduces new dispenser that provides access to hand sanitizer

DebMed®, creator of the world's first electronic hand hygiene compliance monitoring system based on the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, introduced today the availability of a new dispenser that provides access to hand sanitizer in the immediate area within the patient zone.

31 Aug 2013

WHO hand-hygiene compliance strategy easy for health-care workers to practise

WHO's strategy for improving hand hygiene is easy for health-care workers to practise, according to a new study published today in "Lancet Infectious Diseases". Health care-associated infections are a major threat to patient safety worldwide and transmission in these settings is mainly from the hands of health-care workers.

23 Aug 2013

SMARTLINK Activity Monitoring System improves hand hygiene by 92%

GOJO Industries, a leader in hand hygiene and skin health and inventors of PURELL- Hand Sanitizer, conducted an independent research study at the John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas to determine the impact on hand hygiene compliance rates when the hospital hand hygiene program included an electronic compliance activity monitoring system.

19 Jul 2013

Infection control program and active surveillance can reduce incidence of impatient C. diff infections

A comprehensive infection control program combined with an active surveillance process significantly reduced the incidence of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections in a long-term acute care hospital, according to a study published in the Journal for Healthcare Quality, the peer reviewed publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ).

10 Jul 2013

Research shows that rates of serious bloodstream infections fall in English ICUs

Hospitals across England reduced the rate of serious bloodstream infections in intensive care units during a two-year programme, research has shown.

25 Jun 2013

Video promotes awareness about safe injection practices

A video depicting an animated man's harrowing experience with the healthcare system, including an avoidable unsafe injection, is the grand prize winner of the third annual Film Festival at the 40th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

7 Jun 2013

Proventix Systems honors physicians for excellence and leadership in hand hygiene

Proventix Systems, Inc. of Birmingham, Ala. today awarded the Lathem Physician Leadership Award in Hand Hygiene to five physicians who demonstrate a commitment to hand hygiene excellence and leadership in their facilities.

7 Jun 2013

Study: Hospitals' adoption of electronic hand hygiene systems could have sustained improvement

GOJO Industries, a leader in hand hygiene and skin health and inventors of PURELL- Hand Sanitizer, will present its scientific research study, "Impact of Electronic Monitoring and a Hand Hygiene Improvement Program on Compliance Rates" at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Conference, June 8-10, 2013.

29 May 2013

Understanding different forms of hepatitis

It's Hepatitis Awareness Month. Understanding the different forms of hepatitis, who is at risk and how it can be prevented and treated can be confusing.

14 May 2013

Hand Hygiene Day: WHO encourages patients, family members to practice good hand hygiene

On Hand Hygiene Day (5 May), the World Health Organization is encouraging patients and their family members to join health workers in their efforts to practice good hand hygiene.

3 May 2013

Viewpoints: 9 'brilliant legal minds' wrestle with tough biological questions in gene case; Drug overdoses take surprising toll in Calif.; VA case raises privacy questions

When the Supreme Court took up the question Monday of whether genes could be patented, the justices were clearly concerned about preserving innovation in medicine and biotechnology. But the issue presented by Myriad Genetics' patents on the BRCA genes cuts both ways, leading to a potential split among the justices (Jon Healey, 4/15).

17 Apr 2013

APIC develops infection prevention guidelines for EMS providers

In an effort to keep Emergency Medical Services system responders—and the patients they care for—safe and healthy, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology has developed a free, downloadable Guide to Infection Prevention in Emergency Medical Services.

11 Apr 2013

APIC issues new edition of Guide to Preventing Clostridium difficile Infections

In an effort to stop the transmission of Clostridium difficile infections, which claim the lives of at least 14,000 Americans annually, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology has issued an updated Implementation Guide to help clinicians protect patients.

25 Mar 2013

AHRQ releases Making Health Care Safer II report

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new report, Making Health Care Safer II, which identifies the top 10, evidence-based patient safety strategies available to clinicians.

6 Mar 2013

Ten common notions concerning colds and flu

The cold and flu season has hit early and hard this year. As the number of people infected continues to increase, so does the number of internet searches for ways to prevent or limit the duration of viral illnesses. But, what is fact and what is fiction?

1 Feb 2013

Report analyzes risk factors and infection control strategies taken to prevent spread of NDM1-Kp

As the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections continue to rise around the world, a hospital in Canada detected the presence of New Delhi Metallo---lactamase-1-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (NDM1-Kp), a multidrug resistant bacteria that is resistant to carbapenems, one of the last lines of antibiotics.

12 Dec 2012

Contact precautions reduce number of visits by healthcare workers and outside visitors

The prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) can help reduce patient morbidity and mortality, but a common prevention effort for patients with hard to treat infections known as contact precautions, can have positive and negative impacts on patient care.