Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Jul 2009
Multicenter StudyPrevention of central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections in pediatric intensive care units: a performance improvement collaborative.
The goal of this effort was to reduce central venous catheter (CVC)-associated bloodstream infections (BSIs) in pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) patients by means of a multicenter evidence-based intervention. ⋯ We conclude that our collaborative quality improvement project demonstrated that significant reduction in CVC-associated BSI rates and related costs can be realized by means of evidence-based prevention interventions, enhanced communication among caregivers, standardization of CVC insertion and maintenance processes, enhanced measurement, and empowerment of team members to enforce adherence to best practices.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Jul 2009
Topical therapy for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization: impact on infection risk.
We evaluated the usefulness of topical decolonization therapy for reducing the risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection among MRSA-colonized inpatients. ⋯ Mupirocin-based decolonization therapy temporarily reduced the risk of continued colonization but did not decrease the risk of subsequent infection.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Jul 2009
Likelihood of inadequate treatment: a novel approach to evaluating drug-resistance patterns.
To provide a novel way to predict the likelihood that antibiotic therapy will result in prompt, adequate therapy on the basis of local microbiological data. ⋯ The novel ratio LIT may help clinicians use microbiological data on drug resistance to predict which antimicrobial agents will provide adequate therapy. In daily practice, this new approach may be helpful for choosing adequate antimicrobial therapy.