Nosocomial Infection Control Diseases

Amidst the futile clamor and commotion of national healthcare reform legislation debated on the national political stage, everyone in the medical industry from patients to doctors alike are searching for ways to effectively and efficiently trim the cost of delivering quality healthcare. While the inexcusable waste and graft of the insurance industry, runaway medical malpractice litigation and the importance of lifelong preventative care are all issues that have been thrust to the forefront of the political discourse, a tremendous leak in the system has escaped notice and continues to drain resources from both hospitals and those they treat. The threat of additional infections afflicting a patient who requires treatment for an original condition is prevalent throughout American hospitals, and according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services "Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)" or "infections that patients acquire while receiving treatment for medical or surgical conditions "¦ occur in all settings of care, including hospital acute care units and same day surgical centers, ambulatory outpatient care clinics, and long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and rehabilitation centers" (HHS Action Plan, 2011). Whether one attempts to gauge the overall price of healthcare-associated infections in terms of the financial expenditure, the human suffering or the diversion of valuable resources they impose on the healthcare system, it is quite clear that these

Risk Assessment Tool Healthcare facilities are always looking for new ways to improve and provide better care for their patients. As the market of healthcare has rapidly become more competitive, healthcare systems are looking for new ways to improve service and care. These new ideas for improvement not only have positive outcomes for patients but, save the healthcare system money at the same time. One of the major problems hospitals have faced is hospital acquired infections (HAI’s). These infections happen in addition to what the patient came into the hospital for. One of the major changes has been the repayment from the Center for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS). CMS will no longer pay for any type of HAI that has been contracted during a

Running head: EVIDENCE-BASED NURSING PRACTICE Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Karen Medley Walden University NURS 4000 Section 05, Research and Scholarship for Evidence-Based Practice) July 22, 2012 Abstract For patients that have indwelling catheters, with the evidence-based practice and standards of care, UTI’s does still continue to be an ongoing problem today. In one of the large hospitals in

Medicare, the Uninsured, and International Healthcare Review Western Governors University Medicare, the Uninsured, and International Healthcare Review Healthcare and healthcare reform are hot topics of debate in today 's society. As the population grows and life expectancy increases, the nation faces many challenges in providing healthcare benefits to the people.

Introduction: Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) affect 1.7 million Americans each year with as many as 98,000 dying annually as a result of hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) (Kavanagh, 2007). In 2008, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented policy to include non-payment for HAC in order to improve quality patient care and contain costs. This non-payment disincentive refuses to pay for complications of care that are considered preventable. Two other paradigms of this policy used to promote quality include pay-for-performance initiatives and public disclosure of HAC.

Propose how would you minimise the occurrence of hospital acquired infection and monitor degree of success of these measures.

Custodio, H. (2014) Hospital Acquired Infections. Retrieved December 23, 2014, http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/967022-overview (Douglas Scott II, R. March 2009. The Direct Medical Costs of Healthcare-Associated Infections in U.S. Hospitals and the Benefits of Prevention. Date Retrieved: December 30, 2015, http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/hai/Scott_CostPaper.pdf)

Concept Identification, Mapping, & Outcomes Tya D. Schoppe University of Maryland Practice Problem Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), specifically those involving multi-drug resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, as well as higher cost of healthcare and longer length of hospital stays for patients. Each year, millions of people acquire infections while receiving care, treatment, and services in hospitals and other health care organizations.

Can you imagine the misery of being admitted to the hospital, only to become infected with a separate illness? Healthcare-associated infections are defined as infections not present and without evidence of incubation at the time of admission to a healthcare setting. (CDC, 2016) These infections are acquired as an indirect result of the necessity for the patient to endure a hospital stay. While the rate of these types of infections has decreased in recent years, nearly 1.7 Million cases of healthcare-associated infections are reported annually according to the Center for Disease Control. Healthcare-associated infections are a threat to patient safety and with just under 100,000 deaths a year resulting from healthcare-associated infections, more needs to be done to protect the people we have sworn to do no harm to.

The difficulties of Clostridium difficile: Examining the risks of nosocomial bacteria Checking in to the hospital comes with a heavy price tag, and sometimes you get more than what you bargained for. As highly trained doctors, nurses, and staff traverse through the hospital, they carry with them microbial agents of disease. Although regarded as centers for treatment and prevention, hospitals are also known to harbor nosocomial, healthcare-associated, bacterial infections. These infections can be a result of overused or inappropriately used antibiotics and the breaching of infection containment policies by patients and staff. Though healthcare-associated infections have been decreasing, one infection inciting nosocomial bacterium,

More than one million of Healthcare associated infections happen across healthcare settings every year, or 1 in 20 people admitted to any healthcare setting (Healthy people 2020, 2013). HAIs are the most common complication seen in hospitalized patients. HAIs increase morbidity, mortality, healthcare costs, and length of stay even after adjustment for the main underlying illness. According to the Center for Diseases Control (CDC, April 2013) 5 to 10% of patients admitted to acute-care hospitals, or long-term care facilities approximately 2 million patients per year in the United States acquire a nosocomial infection. At least 90,000 deaths per year are a result of HAIs, making it the fifth leading cause of death in acute-care hospitals. These

Healthcare associated infections is one of the common causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States is healthcare associated infections (HAIs).

(Tortora, Funke, & Case, 2013, p. 414) Most hospitalized patients will be immune compromised to some extent and the hospital, by nature, is a pathogen rich environment. Ongoing efforts to minimize pathogens in the environment by all hospital employees, patients and visitors are crucial. Infection control nurses and/or committees should work continuously to identify and eradicate possible infection sources. Equipment, especially respirators and humidifiers must be kept scrupulously clean lest they become reservoirs for microbial growth. (Tortora, Funke, & Case, 2013, p. 417) Strategically placed signs warning visitors to avoid entering the hospital if they are unwell, strict compliance with standard precautions, private rooms and special ventilation systems for contagious patients are all essential in the effort to minimize contamination. Occasionally, airborne and droplet precautions are necessary, but most pathogens responsible for common HAIs are spread by direct or indirect contact. Chain of transmission is therefore the parameter over which nurses have particular influence, as nurses have the most direct, hands-on contact with

Controlling infections in the hospital setting has been a major issue for hundreds of years. Patients have largely been effected by pathogens transferred from those appointed to care for them. Florence Nightingale became famous for changing the way we practice patient care. Her idea was simple yet powerful and it is still considered the standard worldwide. She promoted hand washing in order to reduce healthcare infections. Flash-forward a hundred years and we are now seeing infections increase through a different route. The CDC estimated about 31,100 central line associated blood stream infections occur each year (Control, 2015). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most commonly reported pathogens include coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, and Candida. (Tavianini, Deacon, Negrete, & Salapka, 2014). Although central lines was not yet a technology created in healthcare, implementing the fundamental skills as emphasized by Nightingale

Patient Safety in Health Care Associated Infections Abbigail Eisenhut Baker University School of Nursing  Patient Safety in HealthCare Associated Infections According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one out of twenty five patients have obtained a health care associated infection (HAI) during their visit at a healthcare facility. This is approximately 1.7 million