American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Oct 2017
Active identification of patients who are methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonized is not associated with longer duration of vancomycin therapy.
Excessive prescribing of vancomycin among patients admitted to inpatient wards is a challenge for antimicrobial stewardship programs, especially in the setting of expanded screening programs for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Studies examining factors associated with longer duration of vancomycin use are limited. ⋯ Admission surveillance for MRSA nasal colonization is not a major driver of prolonged vancomycin use. A negative admission MRSA nasal screen may be a useful tool for antimicrobial stewardship programs to limit vancomycin use, particularly in noncritically ill patients.
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Am J Infect Control · Sep 2017
Epidemiology of device-associated infections in an intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Nepal: A prospective surveillance study from a developing country.
Device-associated health care-acquired infections (DA-HAIs) in intensive care unit patients are a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and increased health care costs. ⋯ Incidence of DA-HAIs in the study intensive care unit was high compared with that of developed countries. Formulation and implementation of standard infection control protocols, active surveillance of DA-HAIs, and antimicrobial stewardship are urgently needed in our country.
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Am J Infect Control · Sep 2017
Multicenter Study Observational StudyPharmacist-driven antimicrobial stewardship in intensive care units in East China: A multicenter prospective cohort study.
Antimicrobial stewardship programs, particularly pharmacist-driven programs, help reduce the unnecessary use of antimicrobial agents. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of pharmacist-driven antimicrobial stewardship on antimicrobial use, multidrug resistance, and patient outcomes in adult intensive care units in China. ⋯ Pharmacist-driven antimicrobial stewardship in an intensive care unit decreased patient mortality and the emergence of multidrug resistance, and optimized antimicrobial agent use.
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Am J Infect Control · Sep 2017
One needle, one syringe, only one time? A survey of physician and nurse knowledge, attitudes, and practices around injection safety.
To inform development, targeting, and penetration of materials from a national injection safety campaign, an evaluation was conducted to assess provider knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to unsafe injection practices. ⋯ There is a dangerous minority of providers violating basic standards of care; practice patterns may vary by provider group and specialty. More research is needed to understand how best to identify providers placing patients at risk of infection and modify their behaviors.
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Am J Infect Control · Sep 2017
Oncology nurses' knowledge of guidelines for preventing catheter-related bloodstream infections.
This descriptive cross-sectional survey evaluated Jordanian oncology nurses' knowledge of the guidelines for preventing central venous catheter-associated infection. Poor knowledge was evident from the very low mean total scores and the low percentage of correct answers for each item in the questionnaire.