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AUGUST 2009 |
INFECTION PREVENTION
Coming this fall: APIC Text Online
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announced that it will be releasing an online version of its APIC Text of Infection Control and Epidemiology sometime late this fall. An APIC Text purchase includes a one-year subscription to the online text, which will be regularly updated. APIC currently has a demo of this product accessible here.
The third edition of the APIC Text was debuted in June 2009 with more than 120 expanded and enhanced chapters. The resource contains details specific to ambulatory and long-term care facilities, resources for staffing and training, and an analysis of new technologies, as well as information about current regulations, guidelines, technology, research and best practices. Chapters that are new to the third edition cover topics such as infection prevention in ophthalmology, interventional radiology and the physician’s office.
INSTRUMENTATION
ECRI Institute revises recommendation for blanket warmer temps
The ECRI Institute has revised its recommendation for temperature limits on blanket warmers and is now recommending warming cabinets be limited to 130 degrees, Fahrenheit.
ECRI previously had recommended warming cabinets be limited to 110 degrees, Fahrenheit, as often solutions were being warmed in the same cabinets. The lower temperature meant a decreased burn risk for solutions. ECRI still recommends that solution cabinet temperatures remain limited to 110 degrees, Fahrenheit. This being the case, ECRI recommends facilities that would like to warm blankets above 110 degrees do so in a cabinet separate from one used for solutions.
MRSA PREVENTION
New Mexico facility collaborative reduces MRSA rates by 48%
The New Mexico Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Collaborative reduced the incidence of MRSA bloodstream infections per 1,000 patients by 48% during a one-year period, as reported at A Bridge to the Future Outcomes Congress in Albuquerque on July 17. The 13 hospitals and three New Mexico Department of Health facilities prevented an estimated 17 MRSA cases through process improvements, including implementing active surveillance testing, putting into place appropriate MRSA control measures for patients who tested positive for the infection, instituting mechanisms to identify already-infected patients on admission and developing materials for patient and family education.
The investigators for the collaborative began by establishing a baseline rate of MRSA bloodstream infections in participating facilities. They also assessed barriers to implementing process improvements, helped create community standards for infection control practices and communication about patients with MRSA and fostered outreach to referring facilities. In addition, they created and shared educational materials for patients and community providers about MRSA and follow-up care for patients who are colonized or infected with MRSA. More information about the collaborative’s year-long study is available here.
Read more news in AORN Management Connections.
Read more news in AORN Connections.