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Infection Control Resources

October 2015

A Toronto Rehabilitation Institute study on handwashing finds that prompts and reminders increase compliance.
 
APIC’s latest Heroes Implementation Research Scholars Award helps further research efforts.

Be prepared—with the CDC’s guidelines for evaluating the risk of Ebola.
 
Brush up on key strategies with “Fundamentals of Infection Prevention and Control: Theory and Practice,” by Debbie Weston. 
 
Discover the newest recommendations on combating HAI in A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2014 Updates published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
 
FDA issues warning that design of ERCP duoscopes may impede proper cleaning.

Find out how to properly don protective safety equipment.
 
Find out Nebraska’s Isolation and Decontamination approach for Ebola.
 
Glitterbug makes fluorescent powder that, when used with a UV light, makes it easy and fun for staff to check their hand hygiene.
 
Hiring handwashing monitors helped MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland lower infection rates by 35%.
 
Hospital air pressure systems need to be checked on a regular basis to ensure safety.
 
Johns Hopkins offers a leader guide/checklist to help unit leaders to ensure best handwashing practices.
 
Johns Hopkins Hospital uses a “secret shopper” method to lower HAI.
 
Learn about the impact your furniture choices have on outcomes.
 
Learn how the Cleveland Clinic built its reputation in “Service Fanatics: How to Build Superior Patient Experience the Cleveland Clinic Way,” by James Merlino 
 
Lessons learned on hospital discharge best practices.
 
Mayo Clinic learns best design strategies from patients.
 
Nursing Association (ANA) has created a tool to help nurses prevent new cases.  
 
Organizations can help test change as a pilot organization with The Joint Commission Center for Transforming H.C.
 
Press Ganey’s NDNQI Award recognizes high-quality nursing efforts.
 
Sentara finds staff quizzes up compliance with handwashing practices.
 
Since copper touch surfaces are believed to reduce HAI, Grinnell Regional Medical Center in Iowa is testing the benefits of using copper alloy surfaces in its facility.
 
SmartLink handwashing system is a monitoring and data collection system that generates reports on handwashing practices.

Stay up-to-date on the latest developments in epidemiology and infection control with “Bennett & Brachman's Hospital Infections,” by William R. Jarvis, MD.
 
Study reveals people wash hands more in public bathrooms than in hospitals.
 
Take proper precautions to clean your hospital linens.
 
The California Health Care Facility (Stockton, CA) wins 2014 HC National Award of Excellence.
 
The Cleveland Clinic has a handwashing expert positioned on each floor to educate staff about proper hand hygiene, answer questions, and oversee compliance with best practices.  
 
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) offers a guide for improving hand hygiene practices to reduce healthcare-associated infections.
 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has identified reducing hospital-acquired infections as a priority—and offers an action plan to help hospitals accomplish this goal.
 
What you should know about preparing your facility for Ebola.

With rates of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) on the rise, the American Nursing Association (ANA) has created a tool to help nurses prevent new cases.  
 

Resources Mentioned in the Infection Control Toolbox 

 
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
 
Center for Healthcare Architecture at Chalmers University
 
Emory University School of Medicine
 
MedStar Washington Hospital Center 
 
National Health Services in the UK Research Triangle Institute conducted a systematic literature review of over 3,800 articles looking at the link between infections.
 
SimTigrate Design Lab within the College of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology
 
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 
University of California Irvine (UCI) Medical Center
 
World Health Organization (WHO) Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings 

 
 
 

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