“The Coccus-Conscious” or “The Conscious Careful”

1987 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert F. Brown ◽  
Joan L. Otterman
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Hospital Infection ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Persistent Problem ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Hospital Infection Control ◽  
To Come

Staphylococcus aureus continues to be a resilient and persistent problem for hospital infection control programs. Now methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is emerging as an even more formidable foe, bringing with it controversies in laboratory reporting, treatment, and isolation strategies.History suggests that the best solution to the hospital bacteria problem may well lie in the realm of spirit more than material methods. So, in the manner of Dickens' Christmas Carol fantasy, let us travel with three spirits— the Spirit of Conscience Past, the Spirit of Conscience Present, and the Spirit of Conscience to Come.

A Prolonged Outbreak of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Burn Unit of a Tertiary Medical Center

1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 798-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Meier ◽  
Cheryl D. Carter ◽  
Sarah E. Wallace ◽  
Richard J. Hollis ◽  
Michael A. Pfaller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Chromosomal Dna ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Persistent Problem ◽  
Tertiary Care Medical Center ◽  
Burn Unit

AbstractObjective:To report an outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in our burn unit and the steps we used to eradicate the organism.Design And Setting:Outbreak investigation in the burn unit of a 900-bed tertiary-care medical center.Outbreak:Between March and June 1993, MRSA was isolated from 10 patients in our burn unit. All isolates had identical antibiograms and chromosomal DNA patterns.Control Measures:Infection control personnel encouraged healthcare workers to wash their hands after each patient contact. The unit cohorted all infected or colonized patients, placed each affected patient in isolation, and, if possible, transferred the patient to another unit. Despite these measures, new cases occurred. Infection control personnel obtained nares cultures from 56 healthcare workers, 3 of whom carried the epidemic MRSA strain. One healthcare worker cared for six affected patients, and one cared for five patients. We treated the three healthcare workers with mupirocin. Subsequently, no additional patients became colonized or infected with the epidemic MRSA strain.Conclusions:The outbreak ended after we treated healthcare workers who carried the epidemic strain with mupirocin. This approach is not appropriate in all settings. However, we felt it was justified in this case because of a persistent problem after less intrusive measures.

scholarly journals A Study of Hospital Infection Control Program against Normative Weighted Criteria at a Large Public Hospital

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-132
Author(s):  
Sunil Kant ◽  
Jitender Mehta ◽  
Sanjay Arya ◽  
Shakti Kumar Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Public Hospital ◽  
Control Program ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Hospital Infection ◽  
Infection Control Program ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Hospital Infection Control ◽  
Hospital Acquired

ABSTRACT Hospital infection control programs are important for prevention and control of hospital acquired infection in a healthcare facility. An evaluatory study was done to measure the quality dimensions of hospital infection control program in a public hospital to compare the program implementation in different speciality centers against the normative weighted criteria developed by Gupta and Kant (2002). Result showed variations in infection control program activities in various speciality centers. A centralized administration of infection control program and emphasis on more training and education is recommended. How to cite this article Mehta J, Arya S, Kant S, Gupta SK. A Study of Hospital Infection Control Program against Normative Weighted Criteria at a Large Public Hospital. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2014;2(2):130-132.

The Best Hospital Practices for Controlling Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: On the Cutting Edge

2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith S. Arnold ◽  
Jane M. Dempsey ◽  
Marlene Fishman ◽  
Patricia J. McAuley ◽  
Cynthia Tibert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Rhode Island ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
Hospital Infection Control ◽  
Hospital Practices

Objective:A performance improvement task force of Rhode Island infection control professionals was created to develop an epidemiologic model of statewide consistent infection control practices that could reduce the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).Design:This model encompasses screening protocols, isolation techniques, methods of cohorting positive patients, decolonization issues, postexposure follow-up, microbiology procedures, and standardized surveillance methodologies. These “best practice guidelines” include three categories of recommendations that define priority levels based on the availability of scientific data.Setting:From 1995 through 2000, several Rhode Island hospitals experienced a fivefold increase in nosocomial acquisition of MRSA.Participants:Rhode Island infection control professionals are a highly interactive group in the unique position of sharing patients and ultimately experiencing similar trends and problems.Intervention:The task force collaborated on developing the best hospital infection control practices to prevent and control the spread of MRSA in Rhode Island.Results:The task force met with local infectious disease physicians and representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Health, the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, and Rhode Island Quality Improvement Partners. Discussions identified numerous and diverse MRSA control practices, issues of consensus, and approaches to resolving controversial methods of reducing the spread of MRSA The guidelines regarding the best hospital practices for controlling MRSA were finalized 8 months later.Conclusion:These guidelines were distributed to all chief executive officers of Rhode Island hospitals by the Rhode Island Department of Health in December 2001. They were issued separate and apart from any regulations, with the intent that hospitals will adopt them as best hospital practices in an attempt to control MRSA.

scholarly journals Quality of the hospital infection control programs: an integrative review

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Luiz Silva Alvim ◽  
Bráulio Roberto Gonçalves Marinho Couto ◽  
Andrea Gazzinelli
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Hospital Infection ◽  
Structural Elements ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Hospital Infection Control ◽  
Process And Outcome ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the quality of health in relation to the components of structure, process, and outcome in actions for the prevention and control of infections. Method: An integrative literature review in the LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus, and SciELO databases. The time delimitation covered articles published between January 2009 and May 2019. Results: The final sample consisted of 10 articles published, mainly in Scopus (60%), and in Web of Science (30%). The structural elements varied among the study countries, suggesting opportunities for improvement of organizational characteristics and human resources. Regarding the process of the implemented routines, inconsistencies were found to comply with the guidelines. The result component was not emphasized among the studies included in the review. Conclusion: The quality of hospital infection control programs has yet to be improved among the health services, highlighting the need for investment in the structure, process, and outcome components.

A Statewide Characterization of Hospital Infection Control Practices and Practitioners

1980 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita L. Booth ◽  
R. Mark Weeks ◽  
Robert H. Hutcheson ◽  
William Schaffner
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Medical Specialty ◽  
Hospital Infection ◽  
Modest Improvement ◽  
Hospital Size ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Infection Control Practitioner ◽  
Hospital Infection Control ◽  
Control Resource

AbstractSelected features of infection control programs among the 163 general hospitals in Tennessee were surveyed in 1976 and 1979. Each hospital but one had a designated infection control practitioner. Three-fourths of the hospitals had fewer than 200 beds and most were in rural areas. The practitioners in these small hospitals worked in an isolated professional milieu: few (4%) had attended a basic training course or were members of a national (11%) or local (16%) infection control association. They also had significantly less access to standard infection control resource publications than did practitioners in large hospitals. Use of aqueous quaternary ammonium compounds for disinfection was reported by 37% of all hospitals in 1979; 68% of hospitals routinely performed bacteriologic cultures of personnel or the environment. In contrast, only 3% of hospitals did not have a policy specifying the use of sterile closed-system drainage of indwelling bladder catheters. Although these practices varied somewhat by hospital size, the differences were not statistically significant. Modest improvement in each parameter was noted since 1976. Pathology was the most common medical specialty (34%) among chairman of infection control committees; internal medicine and pediatrics accounted for only 13%. The practice of routine microbiologic monitoring was significantly more common among hospitals with chairmen who were pathologists. The implications of these findings for national priorities in hospital infection control are discussed.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Common Hospital Hand Disinfectants Against Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureus,Glycopeptide-Intermediate S.aureus,and Heterogeneous Glycopeptide-IntermediateS. aureus

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Wootton ◽  
Timothy R. Walsh ◽  
Eleri M. Davies ◽  
Robin A. Howe
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Glycopeptide Resistance ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Significant Challenge ◽  
Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Hospital Infection Control ◽  
Mssa Strain

Background.The presence of methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and glycopeptide-intermediateS. aureus(GISA) in hospitals poses a significant challenge to hospital infection control teams. The use of disinfectants for both surface and hand cleaning is an essential part of the infection control measures.Objective.To evaluate the effectiveness of common hospital hand disinfectants against MRSA, GISA, and heterogeneous GISA (hGISA).Methods.For methicillin-susceptible S.aureus(MSSA), MRSA, GISA, and hGISA, the levels of susceptibility to hand disinfectants and their active ingredients were determined. Suspension tests were performed on commercial handwashing products.Results.Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 2-propanol, Chlorhexidine, and hexachlorophene were similar for all phenotypes. The MICs of cetrimide and triclosan were higher for the MRSA, GISA, and hGISA strains than for the MSSA strain. The MICs for the chlorhexidine-containing agents Hibisol and Hibiscrub (AstraZeneca) and for the propanol-containing agent Sterillium (Medline) were 1-2-fold lower for the MSSA strains than for the MRSA, GISA, and hGISA strains. Suspension tests showed that the GISA and hGISA strains were less susceptible to the triclosan-containing agent Aquasept (SSL) than were the MRSA and MSSA strains, with resistance increasing with glycopeptide resistance. Products containing Betadine (Purdue) were more effective against the GISA and hGISA strains than against the MRSA and MSSA strains, especially after the strain was exposed to the product for 30 seconds.Conclusions.Using the EN 1040 standard criteria for the performance of disinfectants, we determined that all agents, except 50% Aquasept for hGISA and 0.33% hexachlorophene for GISA, performed effectively. However, the GISA and hGISA strains were less susceptible to triclosan-containing products, compared with the MRSA stains, but were more susceptible to products containing Betadine.

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