American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Jan 2015
Health care workers' knowledge and practices regarding the prevention of central venous catheter-related infection.
Central venous catheter-related infection (CVC-RI) is considered a common cause of increased morbidity, mortality, and medical care costs in intensive care units (ICUs). The objective in this descriptive study was to assess the knowledge of health care workers in ICUs about guidelines for the prevention of CVC-RI and their adherence to these guidelines in practices. ⋯ The results of the present study revealed health care worker's low knowledge regarding the prevention of CVC-RI and low compliance with the standard guidelines of CVC care. Therefore, health care workers should be periodically evaluated for their knowledge and practices regarding guidelines for the prevention of CVC-RI.
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Am J Infect Control · Jan 2015
Multicenter StudySurgical site infection rates in 16 cities in Turkey: findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC).
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a threat to patient safety; however, there were no available data on SSI rates stratified by surgical procedure (SP) in Turkey. ⋯ In most of the 22 types of SP analyzed, our SSI rates were higher than the CDC NHSN rates and similar to the INICC rates. This study advances the knowledge of SSI epidemiology in Turkey, allowing the implementation of targeted interventions.
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Am J Infect Control · Jan 2015
Collateral benefit of screening patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at hospital admission: isolation of patients with multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria.
Surveillance at hospital admission for multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative bacteria (GNB) is not often performed, potentially leaving patients carrying these organisms unrecognized and not placed in transmission precautions until they develop infection. Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities screen all admissions for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and place positive patients in contact precautions. We assessed how often patients with MDR GNB in clinical cultures obtained within 30 days following admission would have been in contact precautions because of a positive MRSA admission screen. ⋯ Patients may be serendipitously placed in contact precautions for MDR GNB when isolated for a positive admission MRSA screen.
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Am J Infect Control · Dec 2014
ReviewMiddle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: implications for health care facilities.
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a novel coronavirus that causes a severe respiratory disease with high case fatality rate. Starting in March 2014, a dramatic increase of cases has occurred in the Arabian Peninsula, many of which were acquired in health care settings. As of May 9, 2014, 536 laboratory-confirmed cases and 145 deaths have been reported globally. ⋯ There is a need to increase infection control capacity in affected areas and areas at increased risk of being affected to prevent transmission in health care settings. Vaccines and antiviral agents are urgently needed. Overall, our knowledge about the epidemiologic characteristics of MERS-CoV that impact health care transmission is very limited. As the MERS-CoV epidemic continues to evolve, issues concerning best infection control measures will arise, and studies to better define their effectiveness in real life are needed.