American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Apr 2011
Practice GuidelinePreventing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus transmission in long-term care facilities: an executive summary of the APIC Elimination Guide.
This article is an executive summary of the APIC Elimination Guide for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in long-term care facilities. Infection preventionists are encouraged to obtain the original, full-length APIC Elimination Guides for more thorough coverage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevention in long-term care facilities.
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Am J Infect Control · Mar 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialAssociation of preservative-free propofol use and outcome in critically ill patients.
Propofol is widely used to provide sedation to patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study examined whether preservative-free propofol infusion independently influences outcome in critically ill patients. ⋯ Preservative-free propofol infusion in critically ill patients may be associated with increased risk of ICU-acquired infections and ICU-acquired sepsis, with no significant difference in ICU or hospital mortality. This association might have been related to the use of preservative-free preparations.
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Am J Infect Control · Mar 2011
Low frequency of environmental contamination with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an inner city emergency department and a human immunodeficiency virus outpatient clinic.
We investigated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) environmental contamination in an inner city outpatient clinic and emergency department (ED). Moistened cotton-tipped swabs were used to sample 63 surfaces in the outpatient clinic and 69 surfaces in the ED. MRSA was identified on none of the 63 surfaces in the outpatient clinic and on 7% of the 69 surfaces in the ED. Our findings may have implications for cleaning and disinfection regimens in outpatient settings.
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Am J Infect Control · Mar 2011
Provision and use of personal protective equipment among home care and hospice nurses in North Carolina.
We investigated the frequency with which home care/hospice nurses are provided with and use personal protective equipment (PPE) and factors associated with use. ⋯ The public health policy of providing PPE to health care workers and ensuring that they use that equipment to prevent occupational blood exposure is not being fully implemented for home care and hospice nurses. Greater provision of PPE could reduce blood exposure in this population. Conditions of the home care/hospice work environment may be impeding nurses' ability to use PPE.