American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2014
Factors influencing intensive care nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding ventilator-associated pneumonia and oral care practice in intubated patients in Croatia.
Adequate oral care in intubated patients may reduce occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. The purpose of this study was to explore knowledge, attitudes, and oral care practice in Croatian intensive care units and influencing factors. ⋯ Performed oral hygiene measures are mostly inappropriate. There is a need to improve the knowledge of ventilator-associated pneumonia and oral care.
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2014
Evaluating the impact of mandatory public reporting on participation and performance in a program to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections: evidence from a national patient safety collaborative.
It is not clear whether mandatory reporting influences the efforts and performance of hospitals to prevent hospital-acquired infections. This study examines whether mandatory reporting impacted participation and performance in reducing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in a national patient safety collaborative. ⋯ Mandatory reporting requirements may spark hospitals to turn to proven infection prevention interventions to improve CLABSI rates. Reporting requirements do not teach sites how to reduce rates. ICUs need both motivation and facilitation to reach consumer expectations for infection prevention.
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialImpact of Detection, Education, Research and Decolonization without Isolation in Long-term care (DERAIL) on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization and transmission at 3 long-term care facilities.
We tested infection prevention strategies to limit exposure of long-term care facility residents to drug-resistant pathogens in a prospective, cluster randomized 2-year trial involving 3 long-term care facilities (LTCFs) using methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as a model. We hypothesized that nasal MRSA surveillance using rapid quantitative polymerase chain reaction and decolonization of carriers would successfully lower overall MRSA colonization. In year 1, randomly assigned intervention units received decolonization with nasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine bathing and enhanced environmental cleaning with bleach every 4 months. ⋯ In year 2, the colonization rate was 10.55% (P < .001) compared with baseline. The transmission rates were 1.66% and 3.52% in years 1 and 2, respectively (P = .034). The planned interventions of screening and decolonization were successful at lowering MRSA colonization.
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2014
Patient empowerment begins with knowledge: consumer perceptions and knowledge sources for hand hygiene compliance rates.
A survey of 1,000 US consumers quantified their knowledge of health care worker hand hygiene compliance, their information sources on hand hygiene rates, and their past behavior of asking health care workers to perform hand hygiene. Sixty-nine percent of respondents believed compliance is above 50%; 17% of respondents had asked a health care worker to perform hand hygiene. Our findings suggest that an organized plan of disclosure about hand hygiene rates may be a way to empower through knowledge.
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2014
National HIV/AIDS mortality, prevalence, and incidence rates are associated with the Human Development Index.
HIV/AIDS is a worldwide threat to human health with mortality, prevalence, and incidence rates varying widely. We evaluated the association between the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and national socioeconomic development. ⋯ Less-developed countries are likely to have more severe HIV/AIDS epidemic. There is a need to pay more attention to HIV/AIDS control in less-developed countries, where lower socioeconomic status might have accelerated the HIV/AIDS epidemic more rapidly.