scholarly journals Applying Quality Improvement Approaches for the Control of Critical Medical Processes in a Healthcare Facility

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Flaviu Moldovan ◽  
Petruta Blaga
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Healthcare Quality ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Medical Databases ◽  
Ishikawa Diagram ◽  
Healthcare Associated ◽  
Basic Medical

Abstract Healthcare facilities face major challenges as patients require for the continuous improvement of the healthcare quality. We have used as research method the study of the scientific literature from the medical databases, and we have identified the categories of processes that ensure the quality in a healthcare facility. It is drawn a detailed map of the basic medical processes which highlights the sequence and interaction of medical processes that take place on requesting patients until they become resolved patients. The particularization of quality improvement methods for the improvement of critical medical processes is presented. By using the Pareto diagram it is analyzed the adverse events associated with healthcare and by employment of Ishikawa diagram it is analyzed the causes of associated infections highlighting the factors that contributed to the increase of confirmed healthcare associated infections, which are assigned to the hospital information system and the hospital monitoring system.

scholarly journals Flexible Endoscopes: Terminal Sterilization and Impact to Patient Safety

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (s1) ◽  
pp. 80-83
Author(s):  
Alpa Patel ◽  
Nupur Jain
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Improve Patient Safety ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Blood Stream ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
High Level ◽  
Healthcare Associated ◽  
Improve Patient

Abstract Flexible endoscopes are implicated in deaths from healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), in particular antibiotic-resistant infections. This article analyzes whether terminal sterilization should be required as part of endoscope reprocessing to reduce or eliminate HAIs and thus improve patient safety. Reusable flexible endoscopes are processed to make them ready for clinical use by the processing department of the healthcare facility. Unlike most critical and semicritical medical devices, the final step of processing an endoscope is high-level disinfection and not terminal sterilization. This is because most flexible endoscopes come in contact with mucosal membranes (versus contact with direct blood stream) and cannot withstand sterilization. However, sterilization currently is performed by a small number of U.S. healthcare facilities on reusable flexible endoscopes with the belief that they are safer for use compared to flexible endoscopes that are high-level disinfected. Based on the analysis in this article, terminal sterilization is not a required or necessary step to eliminate HAIs.

Managing Our Microbial Mark

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 393-428
Author(s):  
Ann Marie Marciarille
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
West African ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Quality Reporting ◽  
Reporting Systems ◽  
Control Procedures ◽  
Healthcare Associated

The narrative of Ebola's arrival in the United States has been overwhelmed by our fear of a West African-style epidemic. The real story of Ebola's arrival is about our healthcare system's failure to identify, treat, and contain healthcare associated infections. Having long been willfully ignorant of the path of fatal infectious diseases through our healthcare facilities, this paper considers why our reimbursement and quality reporting systems made it easy for this to be so. West Africa's challenges in controlling Ebola resonate with our own struggles to standardize, centralize, and enforce infection control procedures in American healthcare facilities.

Reducing Healthcare-associated Infections in Neonates by Standardizing and Improving Compliance to Aseptic Non-touch Techniques: A Quality Improvement Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (9) ◽  
pp. 748-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Supreet Khurana ◽  
Shiv Sajan Saini ◽  
Venkataseshan Sundaram ◽  
Sourabh Dutta ◽  
Praveen Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Healthcare Associated

scholarly journals Current Pattern and Clinico-Bacteriological Profile of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) in an ICU Setting: An Observational Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mradul Kumar Daga ◽  
Govind Mawari ◽  
Saman Wasi ◽  
Naresh Kumar ◽  
Udbhav Sharma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Central Line ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Acinetobacter Species ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Causative Agents ◽  
Healthcare Associated

Abstract Objective To understand the pattern and types of healthcare associated infections (HAI) at our healthcare facility, and to determine the common causative agents and their antibiotic susceptibility profile. Methods One hundred consecutive patients diagnosed with HAI were enrolled and monitored; the causative organisms isolated on culture were recorded and their sensitivity profile was generated. Results Of the 100 patients diagnosed with HAI (mean age ± SD being 42 ± 17 years), there were a total of 110 hospital acquired infections with 10 patients having two infections each. Out of 100 patients with HAI, 69 patients had ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP), 21 patients had catheter associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) patients, and 20 patients had central line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). There were 10 patients with both VAP and CAUTI. All of the HAIs were device associated. A total of 76 pathogens were isolated on culture. No organism was isolated in 40 HAI. Majority (94.7%) of the organisms isolated from HAIs were gram-negative bacteria and all were multidrug resistant. Seventy-seven of the enrolled patients expired while 23 were discharged from the hospital Conclusions Our study demonstrated that HAIs occur in patients of all age groups; younger patients are not spared. Majority of the HAIs were caused by multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria and were associated with high patient mortality. Acinetobacter species was the most common organism associated with HAI.

scholarly journals Disinfectant Wipes Transfer Clostridioides difficile Spores from Contaminated Surfaces to Uncontaminated Surfaces during the Disinfection Process

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carine A. Nkemngong ◽  
Gurpreet K. Chaggar ◽  
Xiaobao Li ◽  
Peter J. Teska ◽  
Haley F Oliver
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Peroxide ◽  
Quaternary Ammonium ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Cross Contamination ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Contamination Risk ◽  
Clostridioides Difficile ◽  
Disinfection Process ◽  
The Us ◽  
Healthcare Associated

Abstract Background: Pre-wetted disinfectant wipes are increasingly being used in healthcare facilities to help address the risk of healthcare associated infections (HAI). However, HAIs are still a major problem in the US with Clostridioides difficile being the most common cause, leading to approximately 12,800 deaths annually in the US. An underexplored risk when using disinfectant wipes is that they may cross-contaminate uncontaminated surfaces during the wiping process. The objective of this study was to determine the cross-contamination risk that pre-wetted disinfectant towelettes may pose when challenged with C. difficile spores. We hypothesized that although the tested disinfectant wipes had no sporicidal claims, they will reduce spore loads. We also hypothesized that hydrogen peroxide disinfectant towelettes would present a lower cross-contamination risk than quaternary ammonium products. Methods: We evaluated the risk of cross-contamination when disinfectant wipes are challenged with C. difficile ATCC 43598 spores on Formica surfaces. A disinfectant wipe was used to wipe a Formica sheet inoculated with C. difficile. After the wiping process, we determined log10 CFU on previously uncontaminated pre-determined distances from the inoculation point and on the used wipes. Results: We found that the disinfectant wipes transferred C. difficile spores from inoculated surfaces to previously uncontaminated surfaces. We also found that wipes physically removed C. difficile spores and that hydrogen peroxide disinfectants were more sporicidal than the quaternary ammonium disinfectants. Conclusion: Regardless of the product type, all disinfectant wipes had some sporicidal effect but transferred C. difficile spores from contaminated to otherwise previously uncontaminated surfaces. Disinfectant wipes retain C. difficile spores during and after the wiping process.

Comparison of the Burdens of Hospital-Onset, Healthcare Facility-Associated Clostridium difficile Infection and of Healthcare-Associated Infection due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Community Hospitals

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky A. Miller ◽  
Luke F. Chen ◽  
Daniel J. Sexton ◽  
Deverick J. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Difficile ◽  
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Control Network ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infection ◽  
Community Hospitals ◽  
Common Etiology ◽  
Healthcare Associated

We sought to determine the burden of nosocomial Clostridium difficile infection in comparison to other healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in community hospitals participating in an infection control network. Our data suggest that C. difficilehas replaced MRSA as the most common etiology of HAI in community hospitals in the southeastern United States.

Implementing quality improvement strategies to reduce healthcare-associated infections: A systematic review

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. S274-S283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Mauger ◽  
Anne Marbella ◽  
Elizabeth Pines ◽  
Ryan Chopra ◽  
Edgar R. Black ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Healthcare Associated Infections ◽  
Improvement Strategies ◽  
Healthcare Associated
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