Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T07:26:54.291Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Enhancing Patient Safety by Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infections: The Role of Discovery and Dissemination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Abstract

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) take a major human toll on society and reduce public confidence in the healthcare system. The current convergence of scientific, public, and legislative interest in reducing rates of HAI can provide the necessary momentum to address and answer important questions in HAI research. This position paper outlines priorities for a national approach to HAIs: scrutinizing the science base, developing a prioritized research agenda, conducting studies that address the questions that have been identified, creating and deploying guidelines that are based on the outcomes of these studies, and then initiating new studies that assess the efficacy of the interventions.

Type
Shea Position Paper
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Humphreys, H, Newcombe, RG, Enstone, J, et al.Four country healthcare associated infection prevalence survey 2006: risk factor analysis. J Hosp Infect 2008;69(3):249257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Klevens, RM, Edwards, JR, Richards, CL Jr, et al.Estimating health care-associated infections and deaths in U.S. hospitals, 2002. Public Health Rep 2007;122(2):160166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Kilgore, M, Brossette, S. Cost of bloodstream infections. Am J Infect Control 2008;36(10):S172.elS172.e3.Google Scholar
4.Dubberke, ER, Wertheimer, AI. Review of current literature on the economic burden of Clostridium difficile infection. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2009;30(1):5766.Google Scholar
5.Burke, JRInfection control—a problem for patient safety. N Engl J Med 2003;348(7):651656.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Gerberding, JL. Hospital-onset infections: a patient safety issue. Ann Intern Med 2002;137(8):665670.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Weber, SG, Huang, SS, Oriola, S, et al.Legislative mandates for use of active surveillance cultures to screen for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci: position statement from the Joint SHEA and APIC Task Force. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2007;28(3):249260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Yokoe, DS, Mermel, LA, Anderson, DJ, et al.A compendium of strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2008;29(suppl 1):S12S21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA); Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Response to DHHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections. 2009. http://www.shea-online.org/Assets/files/policy/SHEA_IDSA_HHS_HAI_Action_Plan_Comments_020609.pdf. Accessed October 1, 2009.Google Scholar
10.Spellberg, B, Guidos, R, Gilbert, D, et al.The epidemie of antibiotic-resistant infections: a call to action for the medical community from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis 2008;46(2):155164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Nutty, C. Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) response to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections; February 5, 2009 [1etter]. http://www.apic.org/Content/NavigationMenu/GovernmentAdvocacy/PublicPolicyLibrary/HAI_Action_Plan_Comments _Final_2_5_09.pdf. Accessed May 13, 2009.Google Scholar
12.Coffin, SE, Klompas, M, Classen, D, et al.Strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia in acute care hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2008;29(suppl 1):S31S40.Google Scholar
13.Zilberberg, MD, Shorr, AF, Kollef, MH. Increase in adult Clostridium difficile-related hospitalizations and case-fatality rate, United States, 2000-2005. Emerg Infect Dis 2008;14(6):929931.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Gravel, D, Miller, M, Simor, A, et al.Health care-associated Clostridium difficile infection in adults admitted to acute care hospitals in Canada: a Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program Study. Clin Infect Dis 2009;48(5):568576.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Hidron, AI, Edwards, JR, Patel, J, et al.NHSN annual update: antimicrobial-resistant pathogens associated with healthcare-associated infections: annual summary of data reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006-2007. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2008;29(11):9961011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Larson, E. Skin hygiene and infection prevention: more of the same or different approaches? Clin Infect Dis 1999;29(5):12871294.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Gould, DJ, Chudleigh, JH, Moralejo, D, Drey, N. Interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007;(2):CD005186.Google Scholar
18.Riggs, MM, Sethi, AK, Zabarsky, TF, Eckstein, EC, Jump, RLP, Donskey, CJ. Asymptomatic carriers are a potential source for transmission of epidemic and nonepidemic Clostridium difficile strains among long-term care facility residents. Clin Infect Dis 2007;45(8):992998.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Muto, CA. Asymptomatic Clostridium difficile colonization: is this the tip of another iceberg? Clin Infect Dis 2007;45(8):9991000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Muto, C, Blank, MK, Marsh, JW, et al.Control of an outbreak of infection with the hypervirulent Clostridium difficile BI strain in a university hospital using a comprehensive bundle approach. Clin Infect Dis 2007;45(10): 12661273.Google Scholar
21.Pronovost, P, Needham, D, Berenholtz, S, et al.An intervention to decrease catheter-related bloodstream infections in the ICU. N Engl J Med 2006;355(26):27252732.Google Scholar
22.Eggimann, P, Harbarth, S, Constantin, MN, Touveneau, S, Chevrolet, JC, Pittet, D. Impact of a prevention strategy targeted at vascular-access care on incidence of infections acquired in intensive care. Lancet 2000;355(9218):18641868.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Berenholtz, SM, Pronovost, PJ, Lipsett, PA, et al.Eliminating catheter-related bloodstream infections in the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med 2004;32(10):20142020.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Harris, AD, Lautenbach, E, Perencevich, E. A systematic review of quasi-experimental study designs in the fields of infection control and antibiotic resistance. Clin Infect Dis 2005;41(1):7782.Google ScholarPubMed
25.Harris, AD, Bradham, DD, Baumgarten, M, Zuckerman, IH, Fink, JC, Perencevich, EN. The use and interpretation of quasi-experimental studies in infectious diseases. Clin Infect Dis 2004;38(11):15861591.Google Scholar
26.Cooper, BS, Cookson, BD, Davey, PG, Stone, SP. Introducing the ORION Statement, a CONSORT equivalent for infection control studies. J Hosp Infect 2007;65(suppl 2):8587.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27.Harbarth, S, Albrich, W, Goldmann, DA, Huebner, J. Control of multiply resistant cocci: do international comparisons help? Lancet Infect Dis 2001;1(4):251261.Google Scholar
28.Scheckler, WE. Healthcare epidemiology is the paradigm for patient safety. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23(1):4751.Google Scholar