Infection control and hospital epidemiology : the official journal of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Sep 2010
Representativeness of the surveillance data in the intensive care unit component of the German nosocomial infections surveillance system.
To assess the representativeness of the data in the Krankenhaus Infektions Surveillance System (KISS), which is a nosocomial infections surveillance system for intensive care units (ICUs) in Germany. ⋯ KISS ICUs started with nosocomial infection rates comparable to those found in our study ICUs. Over the years of participation, however, a decrease in nosocomial infections is seen. Thus, rates of nosocomial infection from KISS should be used as benchmarks, but estimations for Germany that are based on KISS data may underestimate the real burden of nosocomial infections.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Sep 2010
Evaluation of a large-scale quantitative respirator-fit testing program for healthcare workers: survey results.
To present the evaluation of a large-scale quantitative respirator-fit testing program. ⋯ Certain facial characteristics were associated with higher or lower pass rates with regard to fit testing, and fit testers were able to select a suitable respirator on the basis of a visual assessment in the majority of cases. For the fit tester, training and experience were important factors; however, for the HCW being fitted, prior experience in respirator use was not an important factor.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Sep 2010
Mandatory influenza vaccination of healthcare workers: a 5-year study.
The rate of influenza vaccination among healthcare workers (HCWs) is low, despite a good rationale and strong recommendations for vaccination from many health organizations. ⋯ A mandatory influenza vaccination program for HCWs is feasible, results in extremely high vaccination rates, and can be sustained over the course of several years.
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Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol · Sep 2010
Infection control in field hospitals after a natural disaster: lessons learned after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
After the January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti, Project Medishare and the University of Miami organized, built, and staffed a 200-bed field hospital (the University of Miami Hospital in Haiti [UMHH]) on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. We describe the operational challenges of providing a safe environment at the UMHH. Furthermore, we compared how these issues were addressed at this ad hoc hospital with how they were addressed at the field hospital of the Israel Defense Force, a fully deployable hospital with an organization fine-tuned as a result of prior disaster situations, also in Haiti.