(275 items)
"A recent study found 25 percent more C. diff than MRSA in 28 community hospitals in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia."
Three cases of this drug resistant bacteria have been documented in the U.S. Experts say other drug resistant bacteria are more prevelant in the U.S.
Public reporting of hospital infections in Tennessee has allowed hospitals and consumers to measure hospitals' progress over time at preventing infection. Some hospitals are stepping up their efforts to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections.
"Harrison Medical Center in 2009 had the highest central-line infection rate of any of Washington state’s 63 hospitals with intensive-care units. The Bremerton-based hospital also had the fourth-highest rate of pneumonia linked to the use of ventilators among the state’s 37 community hospitals, according to the Washington Department of Health (DOH)."
Parts 1 and 2 of an investigative series by the Las Vegas Sun of hospital safety. The articles focus on hospital infections and preventable injuries. They also explain the limited information available to consumers and why the state has failed to provide this information.
A new superbug that is making its way aroung the world has been discovered. "British researchers are being credited with the discovery of new bacteria with the gene allowing it to produce an enzyme called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1, or NDM-1." Two cases have been discovered in Canada.
The long overdue report is in response to a 2006 state law requiring reporting of central line bloodstream infections. and infections acquired after heart, colon and knee surgeries. A separate report details influenza vaccination rates among hospital staff.
The Missouri Department of Health has agreed to change its policy of purging hospital infection data that was over a year old. Now consumers can view hospital infection prevention performance over years rather than just having access to one year worth of performance data.
Siting costs to keep the old data, the Missouri Health Department is deleting infection data from past years making it impossible to see if a hospitals infection prevention record improves or declines over time.
New Hampshire released the first report on health care associated infections. The law was passed in 2006 and results have finally been published.
Nevada hospitals will be required to report certain infections but information from individual hospitals will not be available to the public.
Las Vegas hospital officials say they are doing enough to protect patients from becoming infected with deadly bacteria. But hospitals are failing.
The Nevada State Board of Health is scheduled Aug. 13 to hold a public hearing on regulation changes that would require larger hospitals to report "sentinel events," including cases of MRSA and clostridium difficile, which are infections some patients catch while staying in hospitals or nursing homes.
South African hospital reports that poor infection control contributed to the deaths of more than 100 babies at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital.
New report shows how well Oregon hospitals are doing at preventing life-threatening infections.
27 states have laws requiring public reporting of hospital infections. A committee recently recommended that Arizona not require this disclosure.
Florida Surgical Care Initiative, or FSCI, will collect data in four areas where such complications occur most often: infections at the surgical site or in the urinary tract, outcomes in elderly patients and outcomes after colorectal surgery.
The World Health Organization calls antibiotic resistance one of the three greatest threats to human health.
Central line associated infection rates are anylized in Illinois hospitals.
Illinois hospitals show uneven infection prevention numbers. Those hospitals that have incorporated a system of best practices to prevent central line infections ("the checklist') have successfully reduced their infection rates.
Potentially deadly infections persist and the overuse and misuse of antibiotics is making infection treatment more difficult.
An Arizona Republic analysis of hospital discharge data revealed thousands of cases of infection over the past two years. While 27 other states have passed laws requiring public reporting of infection rates, Arizona is not one of them.
Maine health care advocates held a press conference to make sure health reform is implemented properly, including improving the quality and safety of health care.
A new study published in the Journal of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology of 2,055 patients found that MRSA was present in the noses of 20 percent of long-term elder care patients, 16 percent of HIV-infected patients, and 14 percent and 15 percent of inpatient and outpatient kidney dialysis patients.
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More than 30 years ago, a proposal to eliminate the use of common antibiotics to promote growth was shot down by Congress with the help of agribusiness.
Program to screen and treat all surgical patients costs $115 per patient compared $60,000 or more per infection.
AARP: Older Adults Still the Most Affected by Dangerous Medical Errors
The following films from Transparent Learning are the first in a series of educational stories that feature patient safety advocates including Helen Haskell, Rosemary Gibson and Dr. Lucian Leape.
Leading patient safey advocate Dr. Lucian Leape released report. He makes a strong statement on public reporting: "Transparency is an idea whose time has come and both hospitals and the public will be better off because of it." His statement and report are online now.
This survey was created for patients who have experienced medical harm, their loved ones and their advocates. This survey was created by the Empowered Patient Coalition and we have jointly published this survey on our websites. This survey is designed to answer questions that are important to patients. This is a way for patients to report their experience as they have lived it, and to know that their report will be counted.The Empowered Patient Coalition will be entering the events annonymously on a map so you can see your error and others in your state by clciking on the map.
Sepsis and pneumonia, two infections that can often be prevented with tight infection control practices in hospitals, killed 48,000 patients and added $8.1 billion to heath care costs in 2006 alone, according to a study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
"For years, doctors held the belief that these infections were inevitable and they became an accepted risk of hospital care. Now, research has shown the vast majority of these infections are preventable."
Consumer Reports recently reviewed hospitals around the country and found some medical centers are still slipping.
When patients enter intensive care units central lines are vital to life. These long, flexible catheters deliver essential medications, nutrition and fluids. But they can just as quickly deliver deadly bacteria into your bloodstream. Consumer Reports researched central line blood stream infection data on 926 hospitals in 43 states including Michigan.
A recent report compiled by Consumers Union comparing infection rates reported by hospitals in 2008 showed that Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx had 44% fewer infections than the national average.
At a conference in Scotland, experts warned that containing C-Difficile infections requires vigilance. "In Scotland C. diff has overtaken MRSA as the leading cause of deaths from hospital-acquired infections, and it is rapidly becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment."
Excerpt: "While the world attempts to control the current pandemic of H1N1 influenza virus infection, the impact of a previous pandemic of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection (ie, widespread endemicity in hospitals) continues virtually unnoticed."
By mapping MRSA cases in Europe, researchers were able to determine that MRSA occurs in geopgraphical clusters. They conclude that screening patients for MRSA is an effective strategy for limiting the spread which is mainly through health care networks and not in communities.
Hosted by the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) sponsored this webinar where speakers presented on Tennessee's infection reporting system and using the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
MRSA is mainly spread by patients moving between hospitals, Dutch researchers have said.
Preventing the resistant staph infection could lower readmission and mortality rates and save hospitals thousands in costs associated with caring for readmitted patients.
Dr. William Jarvas discusses other countries that have had success with active detection and isolation (ADI) to prevent the spread of MRSA.
"A team of researchers at Queen’s University in Kingston has proven scientifically that shared hospital rooms are a culprit in spreading superbugs. "
Researchers mapped the spread of MRSA and found it in clusters throughout Europe. They recommend screening of patients who are admitted to more than one hospital in Europe in order to contain its spread.
A new law goes into effect this week requiring that all Maine hospitals screen high-risk patients for a drug-resistant bacterial infection called MRSA-Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The law requires hospitals to screen for MRSA but does not dictate further action, such as isolation, precaution, and treatment if a patient is diagnosed.
Scientist in the UK are going to use DNA as a way to track the origins of superbugs.
This report contains Maine hospital specific rates on Central line associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates for
intensive care unit (ICU) patients and neonatal (ICU) patients.) It also has process measures on CLABSI and venilator associated pneumonia "prevention bundles."
This is a report on data collected from 2006-2008.
Reuters reports on a Duke University study that finds surgical site infections due to MRSA led to a 7-fold increased risk of death, a 35-fold increased risk of hospital readmission, more than 3 weeks of additional hospitalization, and more than $60,000 of additional charges compared to uninfected controls.
"The caseload of patients with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA, rose nearly fourfold from 1999 to 2007, according to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development."
The number of MRSA infections increased "more than four-fold, from about 13,000 cases in 1999 to about 52,000 cases in 2007."
Infection is the biggest single cause of death in hospital intensive care units, according to a new worldwide study.
A study published in the December 2nd Journal of the American Medical Assn. by an international group of researchers examined data on 13,796 adult patients from 1,265 hospitals in 75 countries who were unlucky enough to be in an intensive care unit on May 8, 2007. Here’s a summary of what they found: Fifty-one percent of ICU patients had some sort of infection, the longer you’re in the hospital, the more likely you are to become infected. The mortality rate for ICU patients with an infection was 25%, compared with 11% for patients without an infection. Infection rates in North America were slightly below average, at 48%, but the lowest rate was in Africa, at 46%. The highest infection rate was 60%, found in Central and South America.
To Err Is Human jump-started a movement to improve patient safety. How far have we come? Where do we go from here? Five patient safety "stakeholders" were interviewed for this article, including the Director of Consumers Union Safe Patient Project, Lisa McGiffert.
The article states that these reductions are a result of "pressure from government regulators and patient groups, as well as a shift in doctors’ attitudes, is starting to make medical care safer."
The spread of MRSA, a potentially lethal infection that modern medicine can't seem to beat. But are Maine's hospitals doing all they can to fight the problem?
Technology could potentially slash number of hospital-related infections
CT receives stimulus funds for hospital infection reduction
"There is an emerging literature on the role of bacterial infections in illness and deaths in this flu, and an emerging consensus that bacterial infections are playing a bigger and more serious role than was thought at first."
Electronic Medical software has helped detect Sepsis in a patient saving time and lives due to early detection.
After nearly losing her husband to a dangerous hospital-acquired staph infection, Mary Petty wants to lift the "veil of secrecy" shrouding methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
MRSA is believed to be transferred to pets and then back to humans.
"Detection and eradication of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represents a public health priority worldwide."
Nancy Metcalf, Consumer Reports said: "We surveyed more than 700 nurses nationwide who work in operating rooms, emergency rooms, critical care units and other areas of the hospital."
Federal grant to start program
the savings associated with preventing MRSA infection amounted to $1.8 million a year according to Lance Peterson, MD, of NorthShore Health System in Evanston, Ill.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today announced plans to distribute $40 million to state health departments to help prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
This report is an overview of the national hand hygiene campaigns, but also regional activities, implemented in Europe since 2000.
A study by researchers at the University of Washington has for the first time identified methicillin-resistant Staph aureus (MRSA) in marine water and beach sand from seven public beaches on the Puget Sound.
The Joint Commission announced a new program Thursday that is designed to improve health care safety practices, starting with a rigorous approach toward hand-washing by hospital staffers.
The affected staff have since returned to work after being treated with antibiotics and testing negative for Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. Surgical-site infections in five out of 1,500 patients in July and August prompted the hospital to test 68 operating room staffers for staph, said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven Shapiro.
Lori Nerbonne, co-founder of New Hampshire Patient Voices, writes: "New Hampshire government, consumers and employers could reap a windfall in savings if they formed a collaborative that focused on health care quality and costs in New Hampshire."
SC state health department’s survey of infection rates shows scores of hospitals in the state.
The Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) contains over four million reports of adverse events and reflects data from 1969 to the present. Data from AERS are presented here as summary statistics. These summary statistics cover data received over the last ten years.
Dead by mistake was researched and written by a team of journalists from across Hearst newspapers and television stations. Hearst describes medical errors as "a critical and neglected health care issue." Consumers Union's Safe Patient Project published a report on medical harm, "To Err is Human, To Delay is Deadly" in May 2009.
"You can't say we weren't warned. And you can't say we've done enough to address those warnings about the degree of avoidable deaths in hospitals in New York and across the country."
Six years after the “To Err is Human” report, the Washington state Legislature responded with a law mandating medical error reports. State Rep. Tom Campbell, a bill sponsor, envisioned a day when patients could click on a Web site and compare hospitals' safety records.
Multidrug-resistant bacteria can be spread in the intensive care unit by portable X-ray machines and their operators, Israeli researchers found.
The report, "Back to Basics," analyzed the results of scientific studies of treatment protocols for chronically recurring, avoidable medical errors.
A law passed in 2007 requires Delaware hospitals to report healthcare-acquired infections to the federal National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Nineteen other states also require hospitals to report infections.
Letter to Editor from Lori Nerbonne thanking lawmakers for passing hospital infection and error reporting legislation.
There's a movement to make hard numbers the basis for rankings among hospitals, instead of reputation or word-of-mouth.
Surgical gloves that develop holes or leaks during a procedure appear to increase the risk of infection at the surgical site among patients who are not given antibiotics beforehand, a Swiss study reports.
Kentucky paper endorses public reporting and surveillance cultures for MRSA and HAI. "The health care industry has been reluctant to embrace the simple expedient of screening broadly for patients with MRSA; because some hospitals have refused to isolate all patients with MRSA; because too many doctors, nurses and other health professionals don't follow basic hygiene rules; because state regulation of hospitals is slipshod.
Five organizations representing the nation’s experts in infectious diseases medicine, infection prevention in healthcare settings, and public health and disease prevention announced their support for a provision requiring national reporting of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) rates, which is contained within the healthcare reform bill introduced by leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Some Oklahoma patients are opting for an admittedly gross procedure to kill superbugs living in their colons.
Our state needs to take an active and aggressive policy of mandatory public reporting and tracking of HAI. Kentucky should become a leader in health care, but if Kentucky always waits for the majority of other states to act, we will be relegated to being below average.
Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-12) held a press conference announcing her bill (HR2937) to screen for and prevent MRSA infections in hospitals.
According to the report, New York hospitals have lower rates of surgical-site infections than hospitals across the rest of the nation, but the same or higher rates of bloodstream infections in intensive care units than those reported nationally.
By one estimate, more than 200 Central New Yorkers die every year from infections they caught while in the hospital.
After too much delay, the agency has put out a report revealing which hospitals in New York are more and which are less likely to discharge you with a nasty bug.
The second annual Hospital-Acquired Infections, New York State 2008 Report presents infection rates identified by hospital name and region for surgical-site infections.
Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil comments on reducing health care costs: "The president says he likes audacious goals. Here is one: ask medical providers to eliminate all hospital-acquired infections within two years."
Infection prevention through known practices provides policymakers a ready solution to the current health system failure that adds a hefty price tag to the nation’s annual health spending.
Keene State field hockey player Erin Dallas developed a post-surgical infection following an ACL operation last December. Since that time, Dallas has been hospitalized and has had multiple operations.
The UAE offers to help war wounded but must stop infection outbreaks: "High on the list of priorities was identifying and isolating the source of infection; this was done, says the report, by taking wound and nasal swabs from all admitted patients and hand and nasal swabs from all staff who came into contact with them."
Kim Sandstrom, a patient safety activist in Florida, was invited to attend a White House forum with President Obama that was aired Wednesday night on ABC. Kim's 24-year-old daughter, Diana, died from a medical error in 2004.
Many hospitals cut back on infection-control efforts, which will hurt patients and cost hospitals money.
Giving antibiotics before operation might improve safety, study finds
On July 1, the state's hospitals will receive financial incentives based on the steps taken to prevent complications, including collapsed lungs and infections of the urinary tract and in the blood.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals impose significant economic consequences on the nation’s healthcare system.
The VA started a nationwide safety campaign at it's 153 medical centers calling attention to potential infection risks from improperly operating and sterilizing the equipment.
Lori Nerbonne of New Hampshire Patient Voices writes in support of a bill for funding hospital infection rate reporting and an adverse event reporting bill, which will require hospitals to report serious, completely preventable errors to the state.
Despite growing pressure to prevent deadly hospital-acquired infections, hospitals are cutting back on protecting patients against them.
A new research paper from the Canadian Union of Public Employees says that governments and employers must invest in cleaning and keep services public in order to stop unnecessary suffering and deaths.
Over the past six months, 18 mothers and 19 newborns have become sick with a dangerous bacterial infection soon after being released from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, triggering a state investigation that uncovered serious problems with the hospital's infection control practices.
Representative Campbell's legislation is an attempt to force hospitals to track drug-resistant MRSA infections and slow the bacteria's spread
In the new study led by Dr. Merlin, who's an assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey (UMDNJ) Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, one in 3 stethoscopes being used by emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in a New Jersey hospital's emergency department tested positive for MRSA.
"Aggressive screening halts the spread of MRSA. Rather than fighting lawmakers, the Washington State Medical Association ought to encourage its 9,000 physician members to get behind mandatory screening."
Study finds MRSA cases in ICU reduced 50%.
Bloodstream infections caused by MRSA have dropped 50% in hospital ICUs in the last decade, according to a new study.
New bills aim to require MRSA screening and infection reporting
A sloppy, uneven response by some hospitals has failed to confront the MRSA infection or adequately inform the public.
A bug called MRSA turned Orvil Hazelton's routine knee replacement into a nightmare that ended only after surgeons amputated his left leg just above the knee.
MRSA: Consumers have launched a battle against hospital secrecy and demanded aggressive steps to control infections like MRSA. But in Washington state, MRSA rates remain hidden and state initiatives to combat the drug-resistant germ have come up short.
An aggressive MRSA-screening program at Veterans Affairs medical centers has dramatically reduced infections, VA officials say. Tacoma General Hospital reports a similar success story.
Part 1: How our hospitals unleashed an epidemic; Part 2: After deadly outbreaks, hospital slow to change; and MRSA resources.
MRSA, a drug-resistant germ, lurks in Washington hospitals, carried by patients and staff and fueled by inconsistent infection control. This stubborn germ is spreading here at an alarming rate, but no one has tracked these cases ― until now.
MRSA, MRSA everywhere. And here comes the Seattle Times with a series on the spread of the nasty infection that’s resistant to many of the most widely used antibiotics.
Issues surrounding hospital-acquired infections and other medical events "that should never happen" will highlight a health care conference in Lexington next week.
With all the attention on antibiotic-resistant staph, or MRSA, you may have overlooked Clostridium difficile, the nasty bacterium behind a growing number of hospital-acquired infection.
Gov. Schwarzenegger last month signed two bills that he said will help control hospital infections and lower health care costs by shortening patient stays and reducing avoidable deaths and illnesses.
Kelly Walkinshaw, RN, BSN, has been honored by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC), for her success in reducing MRSA rates among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients at Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall, Michigan.
The new generation of resistant infections is almost impossible to treat.
People who harbor methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) for more than 1 year still have a substantial risk of MRSA-related infection and death, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
"The drive toward greater efficiency by reducing the number of hospital beds and increasing patient throughput has led to highly stressed health-care systems with unwelcome side effects," the researchers wrote.
A survey released Tuesday by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology found that 76 percent had increased efforts in the past year to control the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
A bill introduced in the California Senate by Sen. Elaine Alquist would require hospitals to publicly report their infection rates.
Massachusetts health authorities have linked two recent childhood flu deaths to a germ called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA
Connecticut hospitals continue to stonewall and fight a sane and sound amendment to Senate Bill 579.
Canadian study: an estimated 2,300 Canadians lost their lives in 2006 to antibiotic resistant Staph bacteria and added $200 million to $250 million to the country's health-care bill.
Neckties worn by doctors in hospitals have been implicated as carriers of infection causing bacteria
The public is kept in the dark about MRSA and other hospital infections
HB 1546, would have required testing for MRSA in patients and doctors, isolation of infected patients and public reporting of MRSA hospital infection rates.
"This is preventable," said Colas, angry and anxious to get back home. "People don't have to get staph infections."
Goal is to reduce overall transmission of the bacteria
'They Can Adapt to Virtually any Pressure That We Expose Them To,' Doctors Say
MRSA — or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — has been a problem in hospital and health care settings for years.
California now requires reporting of serious MRSA cases, but leaves out cases acquired in hospitals
But new state requirement fails to require reporting of hospital acquired MRSA
Kentucky physician advocates for tracking of MRSA infections.
The MRSA staph infection is a deadly threat. It's time for a broad-based response
Rapid test will enable faster treatment, containment of resistant staph germ
Articles highlight the work of activist Carole Moss, whose son, Nile, died of a MRSA infection and nine hospitals that prevented 600 infections using a data-mining program to flag infections early to stop them from being passed to other patients.
Consumers Union Calls on Hospitals to Invest More Resources
Carole Moss of Riverside told a state Senate Committee today the state is ill-prepared for the growing number of cases related to the deadly, often drug-resistant bacteria called MRSA.
A quick test for the drug-resistant bacterium MRSA has helped a London hospital to cut infection rates by almost 40 per cent in a single year.
A new federal report on MRSA has prompted hospitals to step up their fight against the superbug.
New York lawmakers consider MRSA screening.
Health and Welfare Board considers rule requiring health care facilities to report non-fatal cases of MRSA.
Gov. Christine Gregoire wants medical laboratories around the state to report cases of invasive MRSA infections and instructed the health department to convene a panel of scientific experts to recommend the best, scientifically sound strategies to monitor and curb antibiotic-resistant organisms.
Locally, only VA screens for fast-spreading MRSA bacteria.
Hospitals Are Adopting Superbug Screening, But The CDC Hasn’t Ordered Tests
CDC Head Says MRSA Infections Can Be Avoided With Common Sense Hygiene
Nineteen thousand Americans die every year from MRSA, and most contract the disease in hospitals. Critics say testing for the bacteria should be compulsory.
MRSA has transformed itself into a menacing microbe with fewer weaknesses and perhaps more lethal power.
To avoid infections, be proactive about doctors' hygiene
Unlike mumps or measles, MRSA cases need not be reported to public-health authorities in this state.
MRSA is killing more people in the United States each year than the AIDS virus.
New dress code for all National Health Services UK staff
Kentucky infection control specialist says hospitals across the US will have to eventually test patients for MRSA when they are admitted.
MRSA infections have increased exponentially in the past decade.
Under a new Pennsylvania law, hospitals will be required to test high risk patients for MRSA.
Report on the results of the first nationwide study on the prevalence of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in U.S to be released.
MRSA is getting a lot of attention nationally because of its increasing prevalence and virulence.
Veterans' hospitals are taking the offensive against MRSA and one in Pittsburgh has seen a 60% reduction in MRSA.
Evanston Northwestern Healthcare’s three hospitals are screening patients for MRSA to prevent the spread of these antibiotic resistant infections.
Success programs in the Netherlands point the way for U.S. hospitals.
A new Pennsylvania report shows that patients infected with MRSA were four times as likely to die and had longer hospital stays than patients who were not infected with the antibiotic-resistant infection.
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System has begun an effort to help veterans hospitals around the nation eliminate infections from MRSA.
The Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System is leading a nationwide effort to reduce infections caused by MRSA in hospitals.
Some leading hospitals in the UK are screening patients for MRSA before they are admitted in an effort to minimize infection risks.
Hospitals in western Pennsylvania are adopting a set of special procedures aimed at protecting patients from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a difficult to treat and sometimes fatal infection.
Antibiotics have been so overused that a new breed of “superbugs” is now resistant to almost all antibiotics. One of these is MRSA, a staph bacteria, that triggers infections so severe that they can turn deadly in days. It is also a prevalent hospital-acquired infection. 60 Minutes reports.
The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority has produced a report outlining the need for investment in infection prevention.
Veterans Health Administration five-year plan to reduce MRSA infections in VA hospitals.
Health Watch USA has obtained VA results of hospital acquired infection rates for MRSA.
Data was collected while patients were treated under VHA Directive 2007-002 which mandated universal active surveillance/screening of all patients admitted to the VA Hospital (except psychiatric units), contact precautions and hand hygiene.
Plans about what the states are supposed to be doing to eliminate hospital acquired infections.
PA annual report on state activities relating to hospital infections and medical errors.
The New Mexico MRSA Collaborative reports that, after its year-long efforts to reduce healthcare-acquired MRSA infections, participating hospitals reduced their rate of MRSA bloodstream infections by 48 percent over 12 months. In essence, about 17 MRSA cases were avoided as a result of the efforts made by collaborative participants. Read the report here.
Study finds nearly 13% of hospital patients leave with MRSA and pass the superbug on to nearly 20% of the people in their households.
Are you a student? Learn how to protect yourself from MRSA by using this printable pocket guide prepared by Nile's Project.
Printable pocket guide prepared by Nile's Project.
Informational flier prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Twenty-six states have enacted some form of reporting law, requiring hospitals, and sometimes other health care facilities, to submit infection data to the state or the Centers for Disease Control, and release this information to the public on the Internet.
Testimony on MRSA bill to the Senate Finance Committee considered by the 2009 Maryland General Assembly.
A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals puts existing guidelines and clinical experience into a more practical format that is more useful to health care workers and hospital staff and can help hospitals design comprehensive infection control programs. The compendium covers surgical site infections, central-line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, MRSA, and Clostridium difficile.
Clips from a California hearing on MRSA. Sen. Florez questions California medical experts. Includes testimony from Betsy Imholz (Consumers Union) and Carole Moss (the Nile's Project). Video produced by the Nile's Project MRSA (www.nilesproject.com).
UK website about MRSA in pets and transmission
Background information on causes, symptoms, treatment, and other resources
The main mode of transmission of staph and/or MRSA is via hands which may become contaminated by contact with a) colonized or infected individuals, b) colonized or infected body sites of other persons, or c) devices, items, or environmental surfaces contaminated with body fluids containing staph or MRSA. Other factors contributing to transmission include skin-to-skin contact, crowded conditions, and poor hygiene.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s web page on MRSA
Study reveals overwhelming majority of MRSA infections are acquired in hospitals and health care settings.
The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project reports on the rise in antibiotic-resistant MRSA infection in hospitals.
The antibiotic-resistant bacteria is found in all wards throughout most hospitals. The study is the first nationwide analysis on the prevalence of MRSA in U.S. healthcare facilities.
Institute criticizes statement by infection control groups opposing MRSA screening for all hospital patients.
A new report by the CDC underscores the need for better surveillance and infection-control strategies in dialysis centers.
A bacteria that stalks every patient admitted to a hospital in this country.
New guidelines for U.S. health care facilities to control drug-resistant infections are strictly voluntary and fail to recommend proven prevention practices.
The use of active surveillance cultures to screen patients for MRSA, along with appropriate precautions for infected patients is a promising new strategy for preventing and controlling hospital infectons.
MRSA Watch site gives extensive information about studies, guidelines and recent stories about MRSA in the UK.
A report by The Patients Association into hospital acquired infections reveals haphazard approach towards screening patients for MRSA.
CDC pages on healthcare-acquired infections and community-acquired infections
Drug-resistant staphylococcus bacteria, which once threatened mainly patients in hospitals and nursing homes, have spread beyond the institutional walls and are now striking young, healthy people at a growing rate. The bugs, mainly new strains of the types lurking in hospitals, are spread by contact with infected skin or simply by sharing towels, clothing, or other personal items.
MRSA is a staph infection that is resistant to treatment by common antibiotics. Recently, “community acquired” MRSA (“CA-MRSA”) has been on the increase. The CDC has information available about MRSA.
Inspired by the faith-filled life of Nile Calvin Moss, nile's project is a non-profit organization devoted to educating the public, exposing health care's big secret and eliminating unnecessary deaths through public awareness!
Contact: Carole Moss - carolemoss@msn.com
The Alliance for Safety Awareness for Patients (ASAP) is a non-profit organization formed by Necrotizing Fasciitis Survivor Alicia Cole and her parents Ron & Betty Cole. Its mission is to educate and protect patients through awareness of hospital acquired infections such as Necrotizing Fasciitis, MRSA, VRE, Sepsis and others.
Mission Statement:
The Maryland Coalition for Patients’ Rights is a grassroots alliance of parents, children, siblings, friends, patients and concerned citizens dedicated to promoting, protecting and preserving the civil rights of all patients. Through education, public awareness and political action, CPR is fighting to preserve the right to safe, honest and professional healthcare for all Marylanders and, in cases of injury suffered as a result of negligence and mal-practice, the right to legal redress and fair and just compensation.
http://www.coalitionforpatientsrights.org/
The Empowered Patient
595 Buckingham Way # 305
San Francisco, CA 94132
Contact: Dr. Julia Hallisy
Hallisy@TheEmpoweredPatient.com
(415) 681-1011
Our goal is to help empowered patients claim their right to safe, effective health care. Patients are beginning to grasp the importance of taking a proactive role in their health care and are coming to the realization that they are a powerful, yet untapped safety resource.
Our mission is to raise public awareness about patient safety issues including adverse events, medication errors, hospital-acquired infections and communication challenges. Help us stand and bear witness to the fact that we can and must do more to keep patients safe.
http://www.TheEmpoweredPatient.com/CT Center for Patient Safety works in our communities, within our healthcare systems, and with elected officials to improve the quality of healthcare and to protect the rights of injured patients through education, accountability and advocacy. We believe that quality healthcare is a right.
More than 290,000 surgical site infections occur in U.S. hospitals each year. Patients who acquire infections from surgery spend, on average, an additional 6.5 days in the hospital, are five times more likely to be readmitted after discharge, and twice as likely to die.
Surgery patients are at risk for infection because surgical incisions create a pathway for germs to enter the body. Maintaining a sterile environment in the operating room is therefore critical to protect patients from being contaminated with bacteria, which can lead to infection.
How well is your hospital, state and the nation as a whole are performing on three key practices that help prevent infections during surgery? Find out here »
Rep. Adam Goode of Bangor, Maine and 9 other representatives and senators sponsored my bill, now known as Maine LD 1038. A much abbreviated form of my proposal was signed into law by Governor John Baldacci in June 2009. We are now mandated to screen those patients who are at high risk for MRSA when admitted to the hospital. My goal is to help save lives. I only wish I had done it before I lost my father.
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In 2003, 63-year-old Marion Costa was rushed to the hospital for treatment of a life threatening gastrointestinal bleed. She had to be treated for three different infections: MRSA, a blood infection and C-Difficile. She has been a key activist pushing for passage of a hospital infection reporting bill in her home state of New Jersey. The bill was passed by the legislature and is currently on the governor’s desk for signature.
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