Infection Control News and Research

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Inadvertent exposure of hospital housekeepers to drug-resistant "Superbugs" may lead to hospital-infection epidemic

One cause of the rampant international hospital-infection epidemic may be the "inadvertent exposure" of hospital housekeepers and transporters to antibiotic-resistant "Superbugs" such as MRSA, says TeleTracking Technologies CEO Anthony Sanzo.

10 Mar 2010

The Joint Commission provides 'The Gold Seal of Approval' to NYU Hospitals Center

NYU Langone Medical Center announced today that the NYU Hospitals Center received The Gold Seal of Approval by The Joint Commission, a national nonprofit organization responsible for certifying that some 17,000 U.S. healthcare institutions are following the very best practices in terms of patient care and safety. Accreditation by The Joint Commission, which must be re-earned every three years, signals to patients and staff alike that NYU Langone is meeting the commission’s exacting standards in such key areas as patient rights, quality of treatment, medication safety, and infection control.

6 Mar 2010

XI to showcase HyGreen hand hygiene system at the Fifth Decennial International Conference

Xhale Innovations announced today that it will showcase its hand hygiene system, HyGreen™, at the Fifth Decennial International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections to be held March 18 – 22, 2010. This real-time hand hygiene recording and reminding system is designed to assist healthcare facilities with their infection control programs.

5 Mar 2010

Scientists, researchers and healthcare professionals to convene in Atlanta to set agenda for HAI prevention

Three thousand scientists, researchers and healthcare professionals from throughout the world specializing in epidemiology and infectious diseases will convene March 18-22 in Atlanta with the goal of setting the agenda for healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevention for the next decade.

4 Mar 2010

Ecolab signs strategic cooperation agreement with Belimed to provide cleaning solutions for hospitals

Ecolab Inc. today announced that it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Belimed Inc. to provide optimized cleaning solutions for hospital sterile processing departments.

25 Feb 2010

Mariner to present HAI controlling dashboard at 2010 Microsoft Health User Group Exchange

Mariner, an industry-leading business intelligence, performance management and analytics solutions provider, will present an exciting new data-driven dashboard at the Microsoft Health User Group Exchange 2010 taking place during HIMSS10 at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia, February 28th. Designed to help the medical center’s infection control practitioner’s control HAIs, the Dashboard has been the subject of recent POC activity at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC).

25 Feb 2010

Study says lower-cost hospitals don't have lower quality care for certain illnesses

A study Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine found little difference in outcomes between hospitals with longer patient stays and shorter ones, which could make it "possible to lower costs in the U.S. system without hurting patients," Reuters reports.

24 Feb 2010

Hospital-acquired infections increase mortality rate and healthcare costs

Two common conditions caused by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) killed 48,000 people and ramped up health care costs by $8.1 billion in 2006 alone, according to a study released today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

23 Feb 2010

SciCan forms merger with SycoTec, MICRO-MEGA to create dental equipment companies group

SciCan, a Toronto based manufacturer of infection control products and solutions with subsidiaries in Canonsburg PA, Augsburg Germany and Zug Switzerland has merged with dental manufacturer SycoTec (previously, EWL, a subsidiary of the KAVO Group located in Leutkirch Germany) and French endodontic specialist MICRO-MEGA (Besancon). SciCan, the worlds largest producer of table top autoclaves will be part of this strong company alliance under the leadership of SycoTec's Managing Partner Dr. Martin Rickert. Together the group will be one of the ten largest dental equipment manufacturers in the world of innovative products for the dental and medical markets.

23 Feb 2010

Sacred Heart Medical Center fined $8,000 for failing to adhere to state and national H1N1 influenza safety standards

On January 29, 2010, Sacred Heart Medical Center was cited and fined $8,000 for failing to adhere to state and national H1N1 influenza safety standards. The Department of Labor and Industries Division of Occupational Safety and Health issued the citation and fine for violation of Center for Disease Control and Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines on H1N1 and also for violation of the DOSH Directive on Enforcement Procedures for High or Very High Occupational Exposure Risk to the 2009 H1N1 Influenza.

19 Feb 2010

Medline Industries signs exclusive distribution agreement with Derma Sciences for BIOGUARD Barrier Dressings

Derma Sciences, Inc., a specialty medical device and pharmaceutical company focused on advanced wound care, today announced that it has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Medline Industries for sales of one of its key products – BIOGUARD™ Barrier Dressing – into the acute care market. Medline is the 2nd leading provider of traditional wound care products into Acute Care facilities, with over 800 sales representatives. Sales will begin this month.

18 Feb 2010

Rate of seasonal flu vaccination doubles national average at Johns Hopkins East Baltimore medical campus

A campaign that makes seasonal flu vaccinations for hospital staff free, convenient, ubiquitous and hard to ignore succeeds fairly well in moving care providers closer to a state of "herd" immunity and protecting patients from possible infection transmitted by health care workers, according to results of a survey at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

12 Feb 2010

U.S. endoscopy units receive ASGE certification for promoting safety and quality

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has recognized 32 endoscopy units as part of its program specifically dedicated to promoting quality in endoscopy, in all settings where it is practiced in the United States.

11 Feb 2010

Survey shows one quarter of Ontario hospitals have no influenza pandemic plan

One quarter of Ontario hospitals surveyed in a Queen's University-led study do not have an influenza pandemic plan and few plans that do exist have been tested. In addition, key players were not involved in developing the plans, and funding for pandemic preparedness was inadequate.

11 Feb 2010

Loyola University Chicago offers new research-intensive program for healthcare industry

Registration is underway for Loyola University Chicago's new infectious disease & immunology master's degree program that will prepare graduates for challenging health-related positions in government, research and private industry.

10 Feb 2010

Safety checklist reduces bloodstream infections in ICUs

The state of Michigan, which used a five-step checklist developed at Johns Hopkins to virtually eliminate bloodstream infections in its hospitals' intensive care units , has been able to keep the number of these common, costly and potentially lethal infections near zero - even three years after first adopting the standardized procedures.

5 Feb 2010

State of Michigan keeps lethal hospital infections in check

The state of Michigan, which used a five-step checklist developed at Johns Hopkins to virtually eliminate bloodstream infections in its hospitals' intensive care units , has been able to keep the number of these common, costly and potentially lethal infections near zero — even three years after first adopting the standardized procedures. A report on the work is being published in the February 20 issue of BMJ (British Medical Journal).

4 Feb 2010

Banner Health to use Premier's Web-based labor benchmarking solution

Banner Health is expanding its relationship with the Premier healthcare alliance to include Premier’s OperationsAdvisor® (OA) Web-based labor benchmarking solution.

3 Feb 2010

Johns Hopkins Nursing Center provides E-nursing resources for Haitian nurses and midwives

In the aftermath of Haiti's devastating earthquake, the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center has been actively assisting Haitian nurses and midwives from afar, gathering nursing education materials and making them available electronically.