Clinical Foundations' edition provides comprehensive review of hospital-acquired infections

Clinical Foundations, a patient-focused education program dedicated to helping respiratory care professionals stay current on clinical trends, has recently published a new edition titled “Pathogens Associated with the Intensive Care Unit Environment –Considerations for the Respiratory Therapist.”

This program has been approved for 2.0 contact hours of continuing education (CRCE) by the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). The edition is authored by John Davies, MA, RRT, FAARC a registered respiratory therapist and Clinical Research Coordinator at the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

“Pathogens Associated with the Intensive Care Unit Environment –Considerations for the Respiratory Therapist.”

Hospital-acquired infections are associated with increases in ICU and hospital length-of-stay, costs, morbidity and mortality. The risk of developing pneumonia increases from 3 to 10 times when the patient is intubated and receiving mechanical ventilation. In particular, the reported mortality attributable to ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is in the neighborhood of 20% to 30% higher than with the underlying disease alone. This edition of Clinical Foundations provides a comprehensive review of the pathogens associated with hospital-acquired infections, methods to prevent ventilator associated pneumonia, and available equipment to limit the likelihood of infection.

According to Davies, “Routes of pathogen transmission to the patient are related to either indwelling devices, devices associated with mechanical ventilation or personnel. Attention must be paid to routes of transmission and programs developed to help block these routes in order to reduce the frequency of ICU infections and the associated costs and morbidity. Respiratory therapists are key players in the fight against VAP, but in order to be effective, they must stay current on emerging guidelines and recommendations.” A panel of four experts further discuss the role of the respiratory therapist in ventilator associated pneumonia diagnosis and treatment as well as strategies for preventing and treating VAP.

As part of a commitment to helping healthcare professionals improve their skills, each edition of Clinical Foundations is fully accredited by the AARC for Continuing Respiratory Care Education (CRCE). The program is sponsored by Teleflex Medical. Teleflex Medical, through the Hudson RCI brand of respiratory products, has been delivering products that make breathing easier for over 50 years.

Since its inception in 2006, Clinical Foundations has offered several modules focusing on a variety of respiratory diagnostic and treatment topics that are an integral part of clinical practice. Approximately 20,000 respiratory care professionals subscribe to receive updates for the program as new editions are released.