Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in health care personnel of two acute care hospitals in Linz, Austria

Objective.To determine the prevalence of health care-associated infection (HAI) in older people in acute care hospitals, detailing the specific types of HAI and specialties in which these are most prevalent.Design.Secondary analysis of the Scottish National Healthcare Associated Infection Prevalence Survey data set.Patients and Setting.All inpatients in acute care (n = 11,090) in all acute care hospitals in Scotland (n = 45).Results.The study found a linear relationship between prevalence of HAI and increasing age (P<.0001) in hospital inpatients in Scotland. Urinary tract infections and gastrointestinal infections represented the largest burden of HAI in the 75–84- and over-85-year age groups, and surgical-site infections represented the largest burden in inpatients under 75 years of age. The prevalence of urinary catheterization was higher in each of the over-65 age groups (P<.0001). Importantly, this study reveals that a high prevalence of HAI in inpatients over the age of 65 years is found across a range of specialties within acute hospital care. An increased prevalence of HAI was observed in medical, orthopedic, and surgical specialties.Conclusions.HAI is an important outcome indicator of acute inpatient hospital care, and our analysis demonstrates that HAI prevalence increases linearly with increasing age (P<.0001). Focusing interventions on preventing urinary tract infection and gastrointestinal infections would have the biggest public health benefit. To ensure patient safety, the importance of age as a risk factor for HAI cannot be overemphasized to those working in all areas of acute care.

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Health Care–AssociatedClostridium difficileInfection in Adults Admitted to Acute Care Hospitals in Canada: A Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program Study

Clinical Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1086/596703 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 48 (5) ◽

pp. 568-576 ◽

Cited By ~ 185

Author(s):

Denise Gravel ◽

Mark Miller ◽

Andrew Simor ◽

Geoffrey Taylor ◽

Michael Gardam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Nosocomial Infection ◽

Acute Care ◽

Acute Care Hospitals ◽

Surveillance Program ◽

Infection Surveillance

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Improving health care from the bottom up: Factors for the successful implementation of kaizen in acute care hospitals

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0257412 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. e0257412

Author(s):

Kosta Shatrov ◽

Camilla Pessina ◽

Kaspar Huber ◽

Bernhard Thomet ◽

Andreas Gutzeit ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Acute Care ◽

Organizational Transformation ◽

Qualitative Content Analysis ◽

Acute Care Hospitals ◽

Transformation Model ◽

Management Technique ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Managerial Support

Background Kaizen—a management technique increasingly employed in health care—enables employees, regardless of their hierarchy level, to contribute to the improvement of their organization. The approach puts special emphasis on frontline employees because it represents one of their main opportunities to participate directly in decision making. In this study, we aimed to (1) understand the experiences of nurses in two hospitals that had recently implemented kaizen, and (2) identify factors affecting the implementation of the technique. Methods By means of purposeful sampling, we selected 30 nurses from different units in two private acute care hospitals in Switzerland in May 2018. We used the Organizational Transformation Model to conduct semi-structured interviews and perform qualitative content analysis. Lastly, originating from Herzberg’s motivation theory, we suggest two types of factor influencing the implementation of kaizen—hygiene factors that may prevent nurses from getting demotivated, and motivational factors that may boost their motivation. Results Nurses generally experienced kaizen as a positive practice that enabled them to discuss work-related activities in a more comprehensive manner. In some cases, however, a lack of visible improvement in the workplace lowered nurses’ motivation to make suggestions. Nurses’ attitudes towards kaizen differed across both hospitals depending on the available managerial support, resources such as infrastructure and staffing levels. Conclusions From our findings, we derived several coping strategies to help health practitioners implement kaizen for the benefit of their organization and employees: Strong managerial support, appropriate use of kaizen tools, and a greater sense of team cohesion, among other factors, can influence how effectively hospital teams implement kaizen. To reap the benefits of kaizen, hospital managers should promote the exchange of opinions across hierarchy levels, allocate the necessary resources in terms of personnel and infrastructure, and show nurses how the technique can help them improve their workplace.

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A model to estimate demand for personal protective equipment for Ontario acute care hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic

10.1101/2020.04.29.20085142 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kali A Barrett ◽

Yoshiko Nakamachi ◽

Terra Ierasts ◽

Yasin Khan ◽

Stephen Mac ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Care ◽

New York ◽

Acute Care ◽

Health Care System ◽

Personal Protective Equipment ◽

Acute Care Hospitals ◽

Protective Equipment ◽

Healthcare Resources ◽

Health Measures

In addition to instituting public health measures for COVID-19, managing healthcare resources is important for outcomes. The experiences in Italy and New York have shown that personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages can cause increased morbidity and mortality. We demonstrate a method to predict PPE demand across a health care system.

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How Do the Hospital Prices Paid by Medicare Advantage Plans and Commercial Plans Compare With Medicare Fee-for-Service Prices?

INQUIRY The Journal of Health Care Organization Provision and Financing ◽

10.1177/0046958018779654 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 55 ◽

pp. 004695801877965

Author(s):

Jared Lane K. Maeda ◽

Lyle Nelson

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Acute Care ◽

Health Care Cost ◽

Acute Care Hospitals ◽

Fee For Service ◽

Medicare Advantage ◽

Medicare Beneficiaries ◽

Metropolitan Statistical Areas

The prices that private insurers pay hospitals have received considerable attention in recent years, but most of that literature has focused on the commercially insured population. Although nearly one-third of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, little is known about the prices paid to hospitals by the private insurers that administer such plans. More information on the hospital prices paid by MA plans would provide additional insights into whether MA prices are more closely tied to Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) prices or commercial prices. Moreover, information on whether the hospital prices paid by MA plans vary with market characteristics or other factors would be useful for evaluating the performance of the MA program and analyzing proposals to modify it. In this study, we compared the hospital prices paid by MA plans and commercial plans with Medicare FFS prices using 2013 claims from the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) database. The HCCI claims were used to calculate hospital prices for private insurers, and Medicare’s payment rules were used to estimate Medicare FFS prices. We focused on stays at acute care hospitals in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). We found MA prices to be roughly equal to Medicare FFS prices, on average, but commercial prices were 89% higher than FFS prices. In addition, commercial prices varied greatly across and within MSAs, but MA prices varied much less.

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Social Network Analysis of Patient Movement Across Health Care Entities in Orange County, Florida

Public Health Reports ◽

10.1177/0033354920930213 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 135 (4) ◽

pp. 452-460

Author(s):

Danielle A. Rankin ◽

Sarah D. Matthews

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Social Network ◽

Social Network Analysis ◽

Network Analysis ◽

Acute Care ◽

Orange County ◽

Health Care Systems ◽

Acute Care Hospitals ◽

Local Public Health ◽

Care Systems

Objective Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are continually emerging and threatening health care systems. Little attention has been paid to the effect of patient transfers on MDRO dissemination among health care entities in health care systems. In this study, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County (DOH-Orange) developed a baseline social network analysis of patient movement across health care entities in Orange County, Florida, and regionally, within 6 surrounding counties in Central Florida. Materials and Methods DOH-Orange constructed 2 directed network sociograms—graphic visualizations that show the direction of relationships (ie, county and regional)—by using 2016 health insurance data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which include metrics that could be useful for local public health interventions, such as MDRO outbreaks. Results We found that both our county and regional networks were sparse and centralized. The county-level network showed that acute-care hospitals had the highest influence on controlling the flow of patients between health care entities that would otherwise not be connected. The regional-level network showed that post–acute-care hospitals and other facilities (behavioral hospitals and mental health/substance abuse facilities) served as the primary controls for flow of patients between health care entities. The most prominent health care entities in both networks were the same 2 acute-care hospitals. Practice Implications Social network analysis can help local public health officials respond to MDRO outbreak investigations by determining which health care facilities are the main contributors of dissemination of MDROs or are at high risk of receiving patients with MDROs. This information can help epidemiologists prioritize prevention efforts and develop county- or regional-specific interventions to control and halt MDRO transmission across a health care network.

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