Here are five studies and stories on infection control from the past week on Becker’s Hospital Review, beginning with the most recent.
1. Patient-centered infection control practices may not be as effective in reducing infection rates as previously thought, according to a study in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Only 18.7 percent of patients with Staphylococcus aureus were infected via contact with another patient, suggesting infection control practices may need to be refocused.
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2. A study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology found 8.1 percent of heart surgery patients who followed a preoperative antibiotic regime two hours or less before the first incision contracted a surgical site infection compared to 13.9 percent of heart surgery patients who received antibiotics two or more hours before the first incision.
3. About a quarter of healthcare workers carry Clostridium difficile on their hands after coming in contact with infected patients, even after following proper hand hygiene protocol, according to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
4. When diagnosed with a hospital-based infection, pregnant women have a 58 percent higher chance of having a child with an autism spectrum disorder, according to a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
5. Researchers at the University of Iowa in Iowa City have developed a vaccine against drug resistant Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
More Articles on HAIs:
10 Hand Hygiene Posters to Hang in Your Facility
Many Treated for C. diff Not Actually Infected
C. diff Data Biased, Study Shows