The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed a set of guidelines, issued by leading epidemiological societies, the American Hospital Association, and the Joint Commission, for preventing six potentially lethal hospital-acquired infections: central line-associated bloodstream infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, surgical site infections, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and the intestinal bacteria Clostridium difficile.
A NY Times article explains that while the content of the guidelines does not differ significantly from the existing recommendations, they are written more clearly and concisely, prodding hospitals to focus on these particular practices from amongst the many recommended infection prevention practices. The new guidelines also provide advice not only on what hospitals should do but also what they should not do in order to prevent infections.
There are an estimated 1.7 million infection cases a year in the United States, with 99,000 associated deaths, and the cost of treating infections is $20 billion dollars a year.
The article quotes Dr. Patrick Brennan, chairman of the federal Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, who suggests, “Too often where we fail is not in the knowledge but in the execution,” as hospitals have a hard time translating guidelines into how they practice medicine. In observance of the upcoming International Infection Prevention Week, October 19-25, what can be done to make these guidelines a reality in every hospital?
Kuong Ly
