Resurgent Infection Control News

Resurgent Health and Medical's Handwashing Systems Removed 99.997% of E-Coli in Laboratory Studies

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:19:00 +0000

GOLDEN, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Resurgent Health and Medical, a leader in automated handwashing and sanitizing technology, announced today that independent clinical laboratory studies showed that Resurgent’s handwashing systems removed 99.997% of E-Coli, a marker organism used to test the efficacy of Resurgent’s hand hygiene products. The studies were performed in June 2008 at BioScience Laboratories in Bozeman, MT.

“We are thrilled with the results of the many studies we have performed over the years and particularly pleased with our recent clinical results that demonstrate the effectiveness of our technology in cleaning and sanitizing hands”, said Jim Glenn, CEO of Resurgent Health and Medical. “There is a growing awareness of the problem of poor hand hygiene practices in the health care and food industries and of the infections and illnesses caused world wide by the failure to observe basic hand washing guidelines. Our goal as a company is to provide a technology and a product line to help in the effort to eliminate these infections and illnesses, and we are very pleased with our recent round of clinical testing that demonstrates just how effective our products are. More and more companies and hospitals throughout the world are adopting our technology as part of their commitment to reduce these risks.”

This study evaluated the performance of Resurgent’s IC automated hand cleansing system set for a total cycle length of 12 seconds using 5 ml Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2% (CHG) antimicrobial agent against E-Coli as the marker organism. The transient microorganism reduction by Resurgent’s automated system was measured at a statistical summary of the mean log10 of 3.49, which equated to a reduction of 99.97% removal of the E-Coli, with some results having a higher log10 of up to 4.54, which equates to a reduction of 99.997% removal of the organism. These studies involve rigorous testing by an independent laboratory using up to 16 human test subjects in an environment intended to duplicate conditions found in health care and food industry environments. Unlike in vitro studies, these clinical studies demonstrate the effectiveness of Resurgent’s products in actual use.

The testing methods are based on the methodology specified by the Food and Drug Administration Tentative Final Monograph (TFM) for Effectiveness Testing of an Antiseptic Handwash or Health-Care Personnel Handwash (FR59:116, 17 June 94, pp. 31448-31450) and ASTM E 1174 Standard Test method for Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Healthcare Personnel Handwash Formulations.

The CleanTech touchless system performs a fully-automated twelve-second wash, sanitize and rinse cycle. Using Resurgent’s proprietary Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2% (CHG2%) sanitizing solution, Resurgent’s hand hygiene products remove over 99.9% of pathogens and continue to kill germs for up to six hours. The FDA certified CHG-based sanitizer contains mild skin conditioners to continuously improve skin health while removing dangerous germs.

The system further boosts compliance by ensuring a pleasant, uniform hand wash using high-pressure water jets that perform a consistent wash-and-sanitize cycle every time the machines are used.

About Resurgent Health & Medical

Resurgent Health and Medical delivers state of the art employee hygiene technologies to hospitals and healthcare facilities that are serious about infection prevention and the elimination of dangerous pathogens in the healthcare industry. Our patented CleanTech® infection prevention technology brings science and precision to the process of removing dangerous microbes from employee hands. For almost 20 years, CleanTech® brand systems have been used worldwide in agriculture, food processing, food service, cleanroom manufacturing and healthcare. CleanTech uses up to 75% less water than manual handwashing, discharges 75% less wastewater, and reduces waste in soap utilization.

For more information, visit http://www.resurgenthealth.com/
Press release taken from Business Wire

Scotland calls for ban on hand gels, encouraging adequate handwashing facilities to replace them

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:07:00 +0000

One of Scotland's most senior doctors, Dr Charles Saunders, head of the British Medical Association's Consultants' Committee in Scotland, has called for a ban on hand sanitizing gels. He says that while they were put into hospitals to help protect against MRSA and to encourage better hand hygiene, the gels don't actually help to prevent C.diff.

Dr. Saunders has said that the dispensers cause confusion about adequate hand hygiene and infection control, and many doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff members don't know that the gels are "ineffective". In fact, "lack of knowledge among healthcare staff about the ineffectiveness of the gels may be one of the reasons for Scotland's appalling C diff figures."

'"In terms of preventing the spread of infection, the most important and effective method is hand-washing, whatever the organism. People should be washing their hands after touching each patient. The problem is that some hospitals do not have adequate facilities for handwashing, which is one of the issues highlighted in the report into Vale of Leven,"' Dr. Saunders has said. '"Staff have been told that they could use alcohol gel instead of washing their hands. That is not a good message to give people. They should be told they should wash their hands, but a lot of wards have dispensers when they should have more hand-basins. What would make sense would be for hospitals to remove the dispensers and replace them with adequate hand-washing facilities in wards and clinical areas."'

Information taken from the Scotland on Sunday article: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/health/Call-for-ban-on-superbug.4398723.jp

'Clean Hands are Cool Hands' PSA debuts nationwide encouraging healthy hand hygiene in time for Back to School

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:38:00 +0000

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The HCA Foundation, the
philanthropic arm of Nashville-based hospital company Hospital Corporation of
America (HCA), today announced the launch of the "Clean Hands are Cool Hands"
Back to School campaign to prevent the spread of Methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), a common yet highly contagious bacteria that
frequently inhabits a person's skin or nostrils. HCA teamed up with popular
teen actor and recording artist Mitchel Musso, best known for his role as
"Oliver" in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, to create a public
service announcement educating kids and their parents on the importance of
hand washing to prevent the spread of MRSA in schools.

"I am happy to be a part of this important campaign to prevent the spread
of MRSA and help raise awareness among my fans and kids of all ages to stay
healthy," said Musso. "Hopefully they will see me in this PSA and get the
message that clean hands are cool and most importantly are less likely to
spread germs."

Because of its resistance to antibiotics, MRSA accounts for 19,000 deaths
in the United States each year, 86% of which are healthcare-associated and 14%
which are community acquired.(1) HCA's 169 hospitals across the nation, under
the leadership of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, have
implemented more aggressive infection prevention protocols to tackle this
issue.

"The growing prevalence of MRSA in hospitals and communities, including in
schools, is creating new challenges for the healthcare community," said
Perlin. "It is important to make parents and kids aware of the little things
they can do at home and at school to prevent its spread, such as washing their
hands with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer."

The 30-second television PSA was shot in July in Los Angeles, California
and features Musso interacting in an animated world of everyday items that can
pass on germs and make us sick. Musso emphasizes how easy it is to come in
contact with germs throughout the day and how something as simple as washing
your hands can dramatically reduce the spread of these germs and help prevent
the illnesses that they can cause.

"We chose to partner with Mitchel due to his popularity and appeal to our
target audience -- young kids, tweens, teens and even parents," Joanne Pulles,
Executive Director for the HCA Foundation. "MRSA is becoming an increasing
concern and cause for absence in schools, and we think Mitchel's participation
in this campaign will help deliver the message that hand washing is the single
most effective and simplest way to prevent its spread."

The PSA aimed at kids in grades K-4, is set to debut later this month on
television stations across the United States. Dr. Perlin and Mitchel Musso
will also be promoting the campaign through broadcast media tours, TV
appearances, and kick-off events in cities throughout the country, including
Las Vegas, Nashville and Tampa.

Images from the PSA will be featured on The Reuters Sign in Times Square
and information on the campaign will be available online starting August 15 at
www.cleanhandsarecoolhands.com. The site provides a fun, interactive place for
kids and parents to learn about MRSA and how to prevent its spread, digital
downloads of pictures and videos, as well as a streaming file of the PSA.

About The HCA Foundation and HCA

The HCA Foundation was established by Nashville-based hospital company
Hospital Corporation of America. (HCA) to provide leadership, service, and
financial support to non-profit organizations. As the philanthropic arm of
HCA, its mission is to promote health and well being, support childhood and
youth development and foster the arts in Middle Tennessee and beyond. The HCA
Foundation supports organizations that have a well-defined sense of purpose, a
demonstrated commitment to maximizing available resources and a reputation for
meeting objectives and delivering quality services with caring and compassion.
Actively providing grants since 1998, The HCA Foundation has contributed more
than $119M in grants to more than 200 agencies and organizations. Additional
information on the Foundation is available at www.hcacaring.org.

HCA Inc. is the nation's leading health care services provider. It
operates 169 hospitals and 113 surgery centers in 20 states, and England
(including eight hospitals and nine freestanding surgery centers operated
through equity method joint ventures).

Press Release from: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/hca-foundation-teams-up-with,503443.shtml

EU Warns about C.diff

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:53:00 +0000

The EU has called for existing infection control guidelines to be reviewed after a new strain of C.diff has been discovered in Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden, and Scotland. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has asked that EU member countries take precautions to avoid the disease. These include "early diagnosis, surveillance, education of staff, appropriate isolation precautions, hand hygiene, use of protective clothing, environmental cleaning and cleaning of medical equipment, good antibiotic stewardship, and specific measures during outbreaks".

The ECDC reminds that C.diff is "the leading cause of diarrhoea in hospitals" and although it is difficult to control, the organization believes that rigorous infection control policies can help. The ECDC reported that they are "currently financing a pan-European surveillance study to estimate the incidence of hospital and community acquired C. difficile." The results are expected sometime in 2009.

To read more, visit:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/0801/breaking25.htm
http://www.hdmagazine.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=16&storyCode=2048305

Meritech's CleanTech(R) ELF and CleanTech(R) IC receive NSF International Approval

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:34:00 +0000

GOLDEN, Colo., Aug 05, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Meritech, Inc., a division of Resurgent Health and Medical and a leader in automated handwashing and sanitizing technology, announces that the newest CleanTech ELF (Extremely Low Footprint) and CleanTech IC (Infection Control) have received NSF International (NSF) approval.

NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Company(TM), a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, is the world leader in standards development, product certification, education and risk-management for public health and safety. The ELF and the IC join in NSF approval with the currently approved CleanTech 400. The CleanTech Automated Handwashing systems are most commonly used in restaurant, hospitality, and healthcare environments.

"Our number one priority is safety and efficiency and this validates our commitment to our customers and our products," said Jim Glenn, CEO of Meritech. "We continue to take whatever measures we need to provide products that insure the safety of the industries and the public they serve."

The CleanTech touchless system performs a fully-automated ten to twelve-second wash, sanitize and rinse cycle. Using Meritech's proprietary Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) sanitizing solution, the single cycle removes over 99.9% of pathogens and continues to kill germs for up to six hours. The FDA certified CHG-based hand soap contains mild skin conditioners to continuously improve skin health while removing dangerous germs. The system further boosts compliance by ensuring a pleasant, uniform handwash using high-pressure water jets that perform a consistent wash-and-sanitize cycle every time the machines are used.

To receive more information on these models and Meritech's other automated hand and bootwashing equipment, please call (800) 932-7707 or go to www.meritech.com OR www.resurgenthealth.com

About NSF International

About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods ( www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.

About Meritech

Meritech, Inc., a division of Resurgent Health and Medical of Golden, Colo., is the leader in automated handwashing and sanitizing technology. For almost 20 years, its CleanTech(R) brand systems have been used worldwide in food processing, food service, healthcare, hospitality and clean room manufacturing. CleanTech uses up to 75% less water than manual handwashing, discharges 75% less wastewater, and reduces waste in soap utilization. For more information, visit www.meritech.com.

Germs at the office: How to protect yourself

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:26:00 +0000

The average office has hundreds of times more bacteria than a toilet seat. The "enter" button on your office fax machine is probably a rank stew of vile bacteria. And here's a controversial bit — women spread more germs in the workplace than men.

Those are some of the findings of America's leading expert on work and home hygiene, Charles Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona.

Before women take offence, the higher germ concentration is proof that women have a healthier diet than men. Women, Gerba found, tend to store apples, bananas and other biodegradable, healthy food at their desk while men go for less nutritious and therefore less germ-ridden junk food, such as gum or potato chips.

Over the past two years, Gerba and his team have seen an improvement in overall office hygiene as desk wipes and hand cleaners become more popular.

However, in these summer months, with air-conditioning units and ventilation shafts a good breeding ground for bacteria, there are a number of points experts want you to be aware of. His first precaution? WASH.

Washing your hands for 20 seconds under soap and running water is far better than a quick squirt of hand sanitizer at your desk, says Dean Cliver, a professor of food safety at the University of California.

While many hand sanitizers boast of anti-microbial properties, a scrub with ordinary soap is far better, Cliver said. Water penetrates much deeper, helping to remove food debris and other particles that hand sanitizer just doesn't reach.

Read the full article for more hygiene tips http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5ju_F6f2dsDY4YiX8xIecViKe-Yng

Antibacterial Agent No Better Than Soap & Water

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:27:00 +0000

...and It's ToxicPesticide in Toothpaste, Shower Curtains, Cutting Boards Could Harm Baby's Health

WASHINGTON - July 17 - It's a toxic pesticide that may be in your child's toothpaste and toys, in your bed, kitchen counters and clothing. It's supposed to kill germs, but is really no better than soap and water, and could harm your baby's health.

Triclosan is an antibacterial agent used in many everyday products including liquid hand soap, dishwashing detergent, mattresses, shower curtains, bathtubs, and cutting boards. Federal agencies continue to allow its use despite the fact it may be toxic to the developing fetus and child, and pollutes mothers' breast milk.

For a study released today, Environmental Working Group (EWG) scientists dug through industry documents, independent studies, and government data, and found no evidence that triclosan's widespread use gives consumers the increased germ-killing benefits the products promise. Still, it is touted by leading brands like Softsoap, Dial, and Bath & Body Works, and listed on the labels of almost half of 259 hand soaps. EWG's investigation is at http://www.ewg.org/reports/triclosan

A toxic pesticide linked to serious health problems should not be in our soap or toothpaste, said EWG Staff Scientist Rebecca Sutton, PhD. It's time to ban triclosan from all personal care and household products.

Triclosan has been linked to cancer in lab animals, has been targeted for removal from some stores in Europe for its health and environmental risks, and the American Medical Association recommends against its use in the home. It is also linked to liver and inhalation toxicity, and low levels of triclosan may disrupt the thyroid hormone system. Thyroid hormones are essential to proper growth and development, particularly for brain growth in utero and during infancy.

Triclosan breaks down into very toxic chemicals, including a form of dioxin; methyl triclosan, which is acutely toxic to aquatic life; and chloroform, a carcinogen formed when triclosan mixes with tap water that has been treated with chlorine. Scientists surveyed 85 U.S. rivers and streams, and found traces of triclosan in more than half.

As required by law, the Environmental Protection Agency is now reviewing health and safety data for triclosan. This is a critical process that could lead to the stringent health and environmental protections needed to reduce exposure to this toxic antimicrobial agent. However, EPA's draft risk assessment of triclosan raises serious concerns: Plagued with data gaps and inconsistencies, the assessment was crafted to support the status quo.

The AMA is concerned that antibacterial agents like triclosan may contribute to the serious problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Until these agents have been proven to be beneficial, we should remove them from consumer products said Dr. Anila Jacob, MD, EWG Senior Scientist. "The widespread use of this pesticide without proven benefit exposes people and the environment to a potentially toxic chemical."

Article from http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0717-03.htm

Blue Cross and Blue Shield encourages frequent handwashing, among other safety procedures

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:28:00 +0000

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City has decided to follow Medicare's lead and as of October 1st, will stop paying hospitals for avoidable conditions such as:

•Objects left inside a patient during surgery.
•Use of the wrong blood type during transfusions.
•Urinary tract infections associated with a catheter.
•Bedsores.
•Air embolism (a sudden artery blockage caused by air bubbles introduced during surgery).
•Hospital-related injuries such as fractures, dislocations, head injuries and burns.
•Severe chest infections after surgery.
•Blood infections from a catheter.

The halt in payments is designed as an incentive to hospitals to adequately follow safety procedures, such as frequent hand-washing and taking a careful inventory of surgical objects.

A report by the Institute of Medicine estimated that medical errors, particularly those at hospitals, could be causing 98,000 deaths per year, and the CDC estimates that up to 2 million patients a year pick up a hospital acquired infection.

Meanwhile, hospitals in Massachusetts and Minnesota have announced that they would no longer charge for complications caused by preventable errors.

For more information, visit the Kansas City Star article: http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/708229.html

HEALTH MATTERS: Hand washing is best defense against dangerous bacterium

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:45:00 +0000

With C.diff on the rise and the number of cases rising from 5.5 per 10,000 people in 2001 to 11.2 in 2005 it is important to be in the know about how the disease is spread, how to prevent it, and what to do if you think you have it.

How is C. diff spread?
C. diff is found in feces and produces spores that can live on surfaces for months. People can become infected when they touch items contaminated with these spores and then touch their mouth. In hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities, C. diff can be spread between patients on the hands of health care workers. Spores can be transferred to anyone who comes in contact with contaminated items such as bed rails, commodes, blood pressure cuffs and thermometers. If those spores are ingested, CDAD may occur.

How can the spread of CDAD be prevented?
The most important defense in preventing the spread of CDAD is hand washing. After using the bathroom and before eating, people should wash their hands with soap and warm water.

Washing hands with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds is more effective than the use of hand sanitizers for preventing the spread of C. diff.

In addition, hospital workers as well as visitors should wash their hands thoroughly before and after seeing a patient. If a patient is identified as having C. diff, hospital workers are required to wear gowns and gloves anytime they come in contact with the patient.

Information for this post was from the July 8th article by Melissa Schori, M.D., FACP Princeton HealthCare System. http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/07/10/njhealth/news/doc4873d193ed8f2656679375.txt

Resurgent Health and Medical Launches CleanTracker at APIC Annual Conference

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:39:00 +0000

CleanTracker is the only fully functional hand hygiene compliance monitoring technology

DENVER and GOLDEN, Colo.--Resurgent Health and Medical, a leader in automated handwashing and sanitizing technology, announced the launch of the CleanTracker at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) annual conference last week. The CleanTracker is the only fully functional RFID technology available to track handwashing compliance.

“At APIC we had interest from over 550 healthcare professionals performed over 1300 handwashes with our machines,” said Jim Glenn, CEO of Resurgent Health and Medical. “With infection rates rising, mandatory reporting, and changes in reimbursement, healthcare facilities must do more to improve handwashing compliance to reduce HAIs.

The CleanTracker software and RFID compliance monitoring technology is for use with Resurgent’s CleanTech IC automated handwashing systems. Users wash their hands and the CleanTech system and CleanTracker software do all the reporting. The easily navigated software gathers users’ data at the handwashing system and pushes the information to the database without intervention by an administrator.

The CleanTracker offers infection control departments streamlined hand hygiene data. The CleanTracker also offers the following benefits:

Easily review reports of hand hygiene activity by a specified time period or by department, job title, or individual.
Create and store quick reports for both past and current data.
Generate simple graphs or tables for visual indications of hygiene events by department, job title or user.
Automatically track hand washes that are complete or incomplete.
Create customizable handwashing targets that can be assigned by department, job title or individual user to give staff a comparative record of hand hygiene compliance.
User identity can easily be turned off to protect personal information.

The CleanTech touchless system performs a fully-automated twelve-second wash, sanitize and rinse cycle. Using Resurgent’s proprietary Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) sanitizing solution, the single cycle removes over 99.9% of pathogens and continues to kill germs for up to six hours. The FDA certified CHG-based sanitizer contains mild skin conditioners to continuously improve skin health while removing dangerous germs.

The system further boosts compliance by ensuring a pleasant, uniform hand wash using high-pressure water jets that perform a consistent wash-and-sanitize cycle every time the machines are used.

About Resurgent Health & Medical:

Resurgent Health and Medical delivers state of the art employee hygiene technologies to hospitals and healthcare facilities that are serious about infection prevention and the elimination of dangerous pathogens in the healthcare industry. Our patented CleanTech infection prevention technology brings science and precision to the process of removing dangerous microbes from hands. For almost 20 years, its CleanTech brand systems have been used worldwide in agriculture, food processing, food service, cleanroom manufacturing and healthcare. CleanTech uses up to 75% less water than manual handwashing, discharges 75% less wastewater, and reduces waste in soap utilization.

For more information, visit http://www.resurgenthealth.com

The infection challenge: Proactive hospitals realize the value of prevention

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:48:00 +0000

By Kathy Warye

Within the past decade, healthcare-associated infections have become a critical issue for American hospitals. Consumer groups and the media have elevated these infections to something of a cause celebre—a fact that has created state and federal legislative pressure. Currently, 27 states require some type of public reporting of these infections, and pending federal legislation would also require public disclosure of infection rates. Congress recently mandated major changes to Medicare reimbursement effective this October. Starting then, the CMS will stop reimbursements for eight conditions considered “preventable” that develop after a patient is admitted to a hospital. In 2009, the CMS will add more to the list. Half of the conditions for which the CMS will no longer pay are infections.

Increased calls for transparency and accountability, along with threats of denied reimbursement, certainly raise the stakes for hospital leadership. But in addition,consider that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,“more than 70% of the bacteria that cause hospital-associated infections are resistant to at least one of the drugs most commonly used to treat them.” With a limited arsenal of new drugs on the horizon, preventing infection must be the priority. It also is making more sense from a business perspective. Generally, only larger hospitals employ physician epidemiologists, but every hospital has infection prevention and control professionals. The dollars spent on them are much less than the cost of infections.

Preventing nosocomial infections only happens when top leaders target zero infections as the vision and heed the advice of infection prevention and control professionals. These specialists work to identify and isolate sources of infections to limit their spread. That includes collecting, analyzing and communicating data to advance performance improvement and safe practices. In the face of public pressure to reduce nosocomial infections, it’s time for leaders to understand the often overlooked talents that these professionals bring to saving lives and improving the bottom line.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is now emblazoned on the popular consciousness as a result of reports that it kills more Americans than AIDS. In 2007, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, or APIC, conducted the first nationwide prevalence study, which showed that the rate of MRSA is eight times higher than previously estimated.

Forward-thinking hospitals are replacing finger-pointing with fresh insights and innovations led by their infection-control professionals. A bundle of elimination strategies, comprising evidence-based best practices, is highly effective at combating the spread of MRSA—but only when employed consistently. When everyone does it right the first time, 100% of the time, dramatic and measurable progress results.

In an informal APIC polling, we asked members to identify what’s changed over the year since the prevalence study. More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents said additional MRSA interventions were adopted. Yet more than half (54%) said that their institutions were not doing as much as is necessary to prevent the spread of MRSA. So while this progress marks an excellent start, there is more to be done to combat these infections.

Adhering to the fundamental principles of MRSA prevention will reduce other types of infection as well. Success means that leaders establish an organizational culture that strives to eliminate preventable infections and allocate resources to efforts that target institutionwide prevention, education, measurement and process improvement.

Other potent benefits accrue to the hospital committed to thinking differently about infection prevention and control, especially if leaders are willing to declare it as an organizational priority and support it with adequate resources. In such an environment, infection prevention ceases to be a stand-alone department; rather, it adds value to every aspect of patient care. Lessons learned from infection
prevention can improve other areas of patient safety, foster transparency and raise the organization’s standing in the community.

Kathy Warye is chief executive officer of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Washington.
Modern Healthcare is the industry's most trusted, credible and relied-upon news source. In print and online, Modern Healthcare examines the most pressing healthcare issues and provides executives with the information they need to make the most informed business decisions and lead their organizations to success. It's for this reason Modern Healthcare is deemed a "mustread publication" by the who's who in healthcare.
For more healthcare business news, visit http://www.ModernHealthcare.com.

Canada Hospital Launches Clean Hands Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Banners such as "Clean Hands Save Lives" and "Stop and Sanitize" greet patients, employees, and visitors at Windsor Regional Hospital in Canada. The hospital has launched a new campaign in hopes of stopping the spread of infection, especially the country's recent strain of C.diff. The hospital's president and CEO recognized that, '"something as simple as hand washing, that we learn as young children, can save lives."' He also admitted that the primary transmitter of infections such as C.diff are contaminated hands. He's right. Experts estimate that less than 50% of healthcare professionals adequately wash their hands.
Along with their hand hygiene campaign, Windsor Hospital is also one of the only Ontario hospitals that publicly reports its infection rates.

Please visit the Windsor Star for more information: http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/story.html?id=6057ca88-47f7-4f83-b7df-5d48d552bf53

MRSA and Handwashing

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:11:00 +0000

Beating MRSA has become a focal point for heathcare professionals. Why? APIC, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, who is gathering in Denver this week for a national conference, noted that the occurrence of MRSA last year was about 8 times higher than estimated! But, infection experts wonder, how can MRSA be stopped when healthcare professionals don't follow simple guidelines, like handwashing?

It is estimated that less than half of healthcare professionals adequately wash their hands. What does it mean to adequately wash your hands? It means scrubbing for at least 20 seconds, or for enough time to sing the "Happy Birthday" song...twice. The understaffing of nurses and the urgent need for patient care has caused some healthcare professionals to admit that it takes too much time to perform correct hand hygiene. Other obstacles, such as the fire marshal saying that too many alcohol based gels are a fire hazard, also stand in the way.

But, like Rebecca Peters, an infection control staffer, said, '“It doesn’t matter if it’s God himself or the governor or whoever, you have to wash up."'

Please Read more at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25200398/

Or visit the APIC website at http://www.apic.org/

Focus on C-diff

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:57:00 +0000

Gut superbug causing more illnesses, deaths
By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA - The number of people hospitalized with a dangerous intestinal superbug has been growing by more than 10,000 cases a year, according to a new study.

The germ, resistant to some antibiotics, has become a regular menace in hospitals and nursing homes. The study found it played a role in nearly 300,000 hospitalizations in 2005, more than double the number in 2000.

The infection, Clostridium difficile, is found in the colon and can cause diarrhea and a more serious intestinal condition known as colitis. It is spread by spores in feces. But the spores are difficult to kill with most conventional household cleaners or antibacterial soap.

C-diff, as it's known, has grown resistant to certain antibiotics that work against other colon bacteria. The result: When patients take those antibiotics, competing bacteria die off and C-diff explodes.

This virulent strain of C-diff was rarely seen before 2000.

"The nature of this infection is changing. It's more severe," said Dr. L. Clifford McDonald, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert who was not part of the study.

There are other factors that play into the rise of C-diff cases as well, including a larger of number of patients who are older and sicker. "And there may be some overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics," said Dr. Marya Zilberberg, a University of Massachusetts researcher and lead author of the study.

The Zilberberg study was based on a sample of more than 36 million annual discharges from non-governmental U.S. hospitals. That data was used to generate the study's national estimates.
The research is being published in the June issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, a CDC publication.

Using other scientists' estimates, the study concluded that 2.3 percent of the cases in 2004 were fatal — about 5,500 deaths. That was nearly double the percentage of C-diff-related cases that ended in death in 2000.

Many of the people who died had other health problems. The study did not try to determine if Clostridium difficile was the main cause of death in each case, Zilberberg said.

But earlier research concluded the infection is the underlying cause of thousands of deaths annually, and the problem is getting worse.

C-diff has become an acute health concern in Canada, where it was blamed for 260 deaths at seven Ontario hospitals recently, and 2,000 deaths in Quebec since 2002.

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is currently working with U.S. hospitals to study prevalence of the infection and what infection control measures seem to work best.

"This is not a time for alarm, but more a time for educating health professionals to understand this particular pathogen," said Kathy Warye, chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based association.

For more information, the CDC publication: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/index.htm

High Five for a Healthy New Hampshire

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:17:00 +0000

“High Five for a Healthy New Hampshire” is a hand hygiene consciousness campaign that aims to increase hand hygiene and reduce hospital-associated infections. Every healthcare facility in New Hampshire has joined the campaign and pledges to abide by the “5 fingers” of the program. “High Five” strives to be 100% in compliance with the CDC’s Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health Care Settings, and their website includes a video and a power point presentation about good hygiene, among additional hand hygiene links and resources. Tools to help track hand hygiene are also available along with posters and stickers.

For more information see the article in the Nashua Telegraph:
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/HEALTH/909155251/-1/health
or visit the “High Five” website directly: http://www.healthynh.com/fhc/initiatives/high5/index.php

Resurgent Honors Nurses during National Nurses Week

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Resurgent encourages hand hygiene and infection control

GOLDEN, Colo. May 6, 2008 — Resurgent Health and Medical, a leader in automated handwashing and sanitizing technology, announced today the recognition of the 2.9 million Registered Nurses working in the United States. Resurgent has worked aggressively with hospital and medical facilities to promote and encourage hand hygiene and infection control.

"We're committed to assisting and helping the nurses that work so hard on a daily basis to care for all the patients throughout the United States. We are working with hospitals to encourage zero tolerance for lapses in hand hygiene with our CleanTech systems," says Jim Glenn, CEO of Resurgent Health and Medical. "Nurses wash their hands so many times during the day, and hospitals and facilities should provide better systems and measures to help make this necessary hygiene step easier and more pleasurable."

Resurgent Health and Medical delivers state of the art employee hygiene technologies to hospitals and healthcare facilities, restaurants, meat-processing plants, dentist offices, etc. that are serious about infection prevention and the elimination of dangerous pathogens in the workplace.

Resurgent’s systems replace the inconvenience and inconsistency of manual handwashing with a totally automated approach to infection prevention. It is the first fully-automated, touchless system available in healthcare for mechanical handwashing, rinsing and sanitizing. It performs a ten-second cycle using a non-alcohol disinfecting solution. By making handwashing quick and easy to perform, the system increases healthcare workers' compliance to a hand hygiene program. It further boosts compliance by ensuring a pleasant, uniform handwash using high-pressure water jets that perform a consistent wash-and-sanitize cycle every time the machine is used.

In addition, handwashing compliance can be measured automatically. A patent-pending radio-frequency identification (RFID) employee badge reading technology, combined with data-reporting software, provide hospitals with automated monitoring and reporting of handwashing events.

About Resurgent Health & Medical
Resurgent Health and Medical delivers state of the art hand hygiene technologies to hospitals and healthcare facilities that are serious about infection prevention and the elimination of dangerous pathogens in the healthcare industry. Our patented CleanTech® infection prevention technology brings science and precision to the process of removing dangerous microbes from the hands. For almost 20 years, CleanTech® brand systems have been used worldwide in agriculture, food processing, food service, cleanroom manufacturing and healthcare. CleanTech uses up to 75% less water than manual handwashing, discharges 75% less wastewater, and reduces waste in soap utilization. For more information, visit http://www.resurgenthealth.com

Anthem Blue Cross No Longer Reimbursing Major Preventable Events, Including HAIs

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:35:00 +0000

Anthem Blue Cross Announces Initiative Aimed at Preventing Serious Medical Errors; Company Committed to Protecting Members' Health and Finances by Not Reimbursing Major Preventable Adverse Events

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthem Blue Cross announced today process changes for its hospital network to be implemented this year. The changes will include reimbursement modifications and are aimed at eliminating preventable adverse events as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Quality Forum. They will help protect Anthem Blue Cross's eight million members from additional payments resulting from these errors."

Anthem's primary focus will be to ensure that physicians and hospitals are using appropriate processes, technologies and strategies to address 'never events' and, ultimately, to enhance the quality of care delivered to hospitalized patients," said Dr. Zeinab Dabbah, Chief Medical Officer of Anthem Blue Cross. "We will continue to work collaboratively with physicians and hospitals to analyze why and how these events occur, and to proactively find ways to improve patient safety and clinical care."

Anthem's first phase of the initiative includes 11 preventable adverse events and will be modified and expanded in the future. Anthem recently communicated to its network hospitals about its policy intended to ensure that no one will be charged if any of the following three events occur:

-- Surgery performed on the wrong body part; -- Surgery performed on the wrong patient; and -- Wrong surgery performed on a patient.

In addition, Anthem's changes will help ensure that only the appropriate payment is made and no additional charges are incurred if any of these events occur:

-- Object left in the body during surgery; -- Air embolism or blockage; -- Blood incompatibility; -- Catheter-associated urinary tract infection; -- Decubitus (pressure) ulcers; -- Vascular catheter-associated infection; -- Mediastinitis (an infection inside the chest) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery; and -- Hospital-acquired injuries such as fractures, dislocations, intracranial injuries, crushing injuries and burns.

"We are listening to our members, business coalitions, and our key accounts who want to know their health plan is looking out for them," said Leslie Margolin, president of Anthem Blue Cross. "As a strong advocate for patient safety, Anthem firmly believes that putting processes in place that focus on preventing these events can have an immediate impact on health care safety and quality."

Healthcare Acquired Infections

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:09:00 +0000

Did you know...?

Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs), also known as nosocomial infections, are infections that appear between 48 hours and four days after a patient is admitted to a health-care facility.

Approximately 1 in 10 hospital patients will acquire a nosocomial infection, totaling 2 million cases per year.

In the United States alone, nearly 100,000 patients die as a result of healthcare acquired infections each year.

HAIs are the fourth largest killer in the U.S.; each year they kill more Americans than breast cancer, automobile accidents and AIDS combined.

All hospital patients are at risk of contracting a nosocomial infection. On average, acquiring an infection adds 23 days to a hospital stay.

In the United States, HAIs add an estimated $30.5 billion in annual costs to the nation’s healthcare system.

HAIs are caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

The most common HAIs are urinary tract infections (UTI), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and surgical site infections (SSI).

Hospitals are seeing a growing presence of drug-resistant bacteria, including an especially dangerous strain of staph, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.

MRSA has rapidly spread throughout the community (CA-MRSA), often afflicting young children.

According to the CDC, two-thirds of all healthcare acquired infections are preventable.

Handwashing is the number one way to prevent the spread of infection.

Handwashing compliance among healthcare workers averages 25 to 50 percent.

The IHI Suggests Bundling Hospital Process to Reduce HAIs

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:43:00 +0000

As part of their 5 Million Lives Campaign, The Institute for Healthcare Improvement suggests a bundling approach to reduce healthcare-acquired infections.

The IHI considers bundling a group of processes that healthcare workers should utilize when working with patients that are undergoing high risk treatments or operations. Bundles are based on various medical complications or procedures, including septic shock, ventilator-associated pneumonia and central-line catheter insertions.

As an example, central-line catheter bundles should be used before insertion. The bundle includes hand hygiene, scrubbing agents, optimal placement, and daily review of the need for the central-line.

It is important to note that hand hygiene is a central element to most of the IHI bundles, and hand hygiene compliance among HCWs is generally under 50%. By creating standard processes, the IHI hopes to improve such statistics.

Thousands of hospitals across the globe have joined in the IHI campaign.

APIC Launches Targeting Zero Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:42:00 +0000

Campaign will Arm Infection Prevention Professionals With Guidelinesand Tools

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association forProfessionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) today announceda series of new educational initiatives aimed at eliminatinghealthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which include Clostridiumdifficile-associated disease and the three infections that the Centers forMedicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have classified as preventableoccurrences: catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs), centralline catheter-associated blood stream infections, and mediastinitis (a deepinfection following coronary artery bypass surgery). The APIC programs willprovide a comprehensive package of education, research and guidance forinfection prevention and control professionals.

"As the nation's largest infection prevention organization, we areleading an effort to eradicate these infections," said Kathy L. Warye,Chief Executive Officer of APIC. "The Targeting Zero Campaign is intendedto accelerate both learning and the delivery of practical tools forinfection prevention professionals. In keeping with our efforts to create aculture of zero tolerance for non-compliance with measures proven toprevent HAIs, this program will clearly demonstrate to healthcareadministrators and clinicians how they can implement effective strategiesand simpler systems for protecting patients from these deadly infections."

Launching in January 2008, APIC's comprehensive program to address C.difficile will include a prevalence study to gain a better understanding ofthe scope of the problem. C. difficile is a bacterium that causes diarrheaand more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis. Over the past twoyears, a new strain of C. difficile has caused hospital outbreaks inseveral states.

APIC also intends to develop a Guide to the Elimination of C.difficile, including strategies for controlling transmission; aneducational Webinar series, and a conference in the fall of 2008, featuringresults of the prevalence study, along with the latest science,epidemiology and best practices in the elimination of C. difficiletransmission.

To help infection prevention and control professionals address newchanges to the CMS regulations which eliminate or reduce payments for threehospital-acquired infections, APIC will offer comprehensive educationalprograms on each of the three infections, using nationally recognizedclinicians to discuss elimination strategies. APIC will also develop anelimination guide with practical implementation strategies for eachinfection.

"We want to prepare infection prevention and control professionals tomore effectively educate and influence front-line healthcare teams aboutprocess improvements that could ensure safe patient outcomes," said DeniseMurphy, president of APIC and Vice President of Safety and Quality, andChief Patient Safety and Quality Officer at Barnes-Jewish Hospital atWashington University Medical Center in St. Louis. "Leveraging the new CMSGuidelines, we hope to heighten awareness among clinical and administrativeleadership about the value of infection prevention. Responding to thischallenge requires a blend of research, education and practice guidance --a combination of activities that APIC is uniquely positioned to undertake.Following our positive experience taking a very comprehensive approach toMRSA in 2007, we plan to launch an aggressive fight against these deadlyinfections on multiple fronts in 2008."

For more information, please visit http://www.apic.org

APIC Poll Presents Hospital Progress in MRSA Prevention

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:39:00 +0000

PRESS RELEASE - ASSOCIATION FOR PROFESSIONALS IN INFECTION CONTROL AND EPIDEMIOLOGY, INC.

Poll of Infection Prevention and Control Professionals Reveals MRSA Prevention Progress Six Months After National Survey

IPCPS Adopting Stronger Interventions but Say Facilities Must Do More

A poll of infection prevention professionals conducted six months after the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology's (APIC's) national MRSA Prevalence Study indicated that while 59 percent of the 2,100 who responded are adopting or have already adopted interventions to address Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 50 percent said their health care facility is not doing as much as it could or should to stop the transmission of MRSA.

MRSA is a virulent multi-drug resistant organism. Interventions adopted ranged from increased hand hygiene compliance and testing of high-risk groups to the more comprehensive approach outlined in APIC's Guide to the Elimination of MRSA Transmission in Hospital Settings.

"We took this informal poll of our membership to get a sense of the pace of progress and what's changed in the six months since our MRSA Prevalence Study," said Kathy L. Warye, Chief Executive Officer of APIC. "We are encouraged that many hospitals are empowering infection prevention professionals to implement more MRSA prevention measures. However, it's concerning that many infection prevention programs are still inadequately funded and that facilities lack resources, staff and buy-in from senior management to prevent the transmission of MRSA.

"Two recent studies have brought increased attention to MRSA. In June, APIC released the first national MRSA Prevalence Study which is being published in the December issue of the American Journal of Infection Control. This was followed by a CDC report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in October.

"Our members understand the severity of this issue and are aggressively addressing MRSA, but the scope of this public health threat demands commitment and participation from every hospital, at all levels of the facility," said Denise Murphy, president of APIC and Vice President of Safety and Quality, and Chief Patient Safety and Quality Officer at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis. "Hospitals should commit the resources to conduct a thorough risk assessment of patient populations and implement viable strategies to prevent MRSA and other antimicrobial-resistant infections."

APIC guidelines for the elimination of MRSA transmission include a risk assessment to identify high-risk areas for MRSA within the hospital; surveillance program to outline activities and procedures to identify MRSA cases; adherence to CDC hand hygiene guidelines; use of contact precautions (e.g., gloves, gowns and separating MRSA patients from other patients); environmental and equipment cleaning and decontamination, especially items that are close to patients such as bedrails and bedside equipment, and targeted active surveillance cultures (testing of high-risk groups).

"What health care leaders need to understand is that these interventions represent pennies on the dollar compared to the costs of infections once they occur. Reducing these infections saves both lives and scarce resources," said Warye. "APIC will conduct a thorough, formal study with our members in six months, and at that time we expect to see many more facilities in compliance with national guidelines."Published in the December 2007 issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the APIC MRSA Prevalence Study offers the most comprehensive understanding of MRSA to date. The study revealed that MRSA is significantly more widespread throughout health care facilities and across every state.

Findings demonstrate MRSA prevalence rates to be 46 in 1,000 patients, eight times higher than previous estimates. Of those, approximately 34/1,000 were infected while 12/1,000 patients were colonized. The APIC study was the first study to measure rates of both MRSA infection and colonization (patients carrying and able to transmit MRSA), to more accurately determine MRSA prevalence.

APIC's mission is to improve health and patient safety by reducing risks of infection and other adverse outcomes. The Association's more than 11,000 members have primary responsibility for infection prevention, control and hospital epidemiology in health care settings around the globe. APIC advances its mission through education, research, collaboration, practice guidance, public policy, and credentialing. Visit APIC online at http://www.apic.org

It's National Handwashing Week!

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:02:00 +0000

It's National Handwashing Week! Spread the word and celebrate the benefits of handwashing! According to this week's spokesperson and champion handwasher, Henry the Hand, there are four principles of hand awareness.

1. Wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating.

2. Do not cough into your hands.

3. Do not sneeze into your hands.

4. Above all, do not put your fingers in your eyes, nose or mouth!

For more information on National Handwashing Week, visit www.henrythehand.com.

Common Antibacterial Triclosan Creating Cause for Concern

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:32:00 +0000

Triclosan can be found in most of our homes. And our work environments. And in fact, in our bodies. Triclosans first emerged on the consumer market over 50 years ago through the Dial Corp. Obviously, the emergence of antibacterial products was done with good intentions, like preventing us from getting the flu and ingesting salmonella. Unfortunately, the extreme overuse has caused nothing but problems in today's world.

The most prominent issue is, of course, the manifestation of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, such as MRSA. Triclosan has made a significant contribution to these dangerous staph infections because it is found in so many consumer products. Overuse of triclosan causes our body to develop a resistance. In lab studies, triclosan has been shown to cause mutations of bacteria and cross-resistance. It is very likely that this problem will continue, and at this point, very unlikely that the innumerable companies marketing triclosan-based products will pull them off the shelves. Because of this, education is essential to curving the use of triclosan.

Triclosan can cause other effects on the body as well. Studies have shown that triclosan contributes to not only weakening of the immune system, but also allergies, decreased fertility, birth defects, altered hormones, and cancer.

More recently, scientists discovered that triclosans may have a negative effect on the environment. A U.S. Geological Survey published in 2002 claimed that triclosan and similar compounds can be found in nearly 60 percent of our streams and rivers. Wastewater treatment plants cannot remove triclosan. This is also triggering negative effects on our food-chain. When chlorine and triclosan mix, they create dangerous dioxins. These dioxins are reaching aquatic life, in turn effecting the food-chain.

The damaging effects of triclosans will continue to be studied over the next several years. In the meantime, take this information into consideration the next time you or your facility buys soap or detergents.

MRSA in the News

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:55:00 +0000

By now you have probably seen something about Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA, in the news. The sudden increase in incidence of community-acquired MRSA in schools across the country has raised concerns for parents and children alike, and has most definitely increased awareness.

If you've seen it in the news, you probably know a little about MRSA. A brief overview: MRSA is a strain of staph that has been prevalent in hospitals for many years, although it did not start showing up in the community until the 1990s. MRSA usually appears as a boil on the skin, but is also known to be blood-borne. Antibiotic resistant bacterias usually arise due to the overuse of antibiotic drugs and certain antimicrobial agents, although the resistance is also linked to bacteria strains that are rapidly evolving and growing. Although nearly 1/3 the population is colonized with the bacteria, MRSA is most harmful to young children, the elderly, and the immuno-compromised.

The CDC concluded that nearly 100,000 people developed MRSA this year. And a recent study showed that 19,000 Americans were killed by the deadly strain of bacteria in 2005 - a number that is nearly double previous estimates.

You are probably asking by now what exactly this post is trying to conclude? Here's your answer: the sudden rush of news surrounding both CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA has significantly increased awareness. It is these stories that will begin to push legislators to create change. So please, share your stories. Contact the media and write your state legislators. Talk to your doctors and nurses. And keep your kids safe by insisting on sanitary conditions - daily cleaning/sanitizing of shared athletic equipment, proper hand hygiene education, etc. Each of us can make a difference.

Patient Safety Facts

noreply@blogger.com (meritech) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 16:35:00 +0000

The World Health Organization (The WHO) released the "10 Facts on Patient Safety." The patient safety facts were developed through worldwide studies on patient safety, which is becoming more and more important as alarming statistics continue to rise. Here are the facts, taken directly from The WHO.

Fact #1
Patient safety is a serious global public health issue. In recent years, countries have increasingly recognized the importance of improving patient safety. In 2002, WHO Member States agreed on a World Health Assembly resolution on patient safety.

Fact #2
Estimates show that in developed countries as many as one in 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care. The harm can be caused by a range of errors or adverse events.

Fact #3
In developing countries, the probability of patients being harmed in hospitals is higher than in industrialized nations. The risk of health care-associated infection in some developing countries is as much as 20 times higher than in developed countries.

Fact #4
At any given time, 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infections acquired in hospitals. Hand hygiene is the most essential measure for reducing health care-associated infection and the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Fact #5
At least 50% of medical equipment in developing countries is unusable or only partly usable. Often the equipment is not used due to lack of skills or commodities. As a result, diagnostic procedures or treatments cannot be performed. This leads to substandard or hazardous diagnosis or treatment that can pose a threat to the safety of patients and may result in serious injury or death.

Fact #6
In some countries, the proportion of injections given with syringes or needles reused without sterilization is as high as 70%. This exposes millions of people to infections. Each year, unsafe injections cause 1.3 million deaths, primarily due to transmission of blood-borne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and HIV.

Fact #7
Surgery is one of the most complex health interventions to deliver. More than 100 million people require surgical treatment every year for different medical reasons. Problems associated with surgical safety in developed countries account for half of the avoidable adverse events that result in death or disability.

Fact #8
The economic benefits of improving patient safety are compelling. Studies show that additional hospitalization, litigation costs, infections acquired in hospitals, lost income, disability and medical expenses have cost some countries between US$ 6 billion and US$ 29 billion a year.

Fact #9
Industries with a perceived higher risk such as aviation and nuclear plants have a much better safety record than health care. There is a one in 1 000 000 chance of a traveller being harmed while in an aircraft. In comparison, there is a one in 300 chance of a patient being harmed during health care.

Fact #10
Patients' experience and their health are at the heart of the patient safety movement. The World Alliance for Patient Safety is working with 40 champions – who have in the past suffered due to lack of patient safety measures – to help make health care safer worldwide.

Today, over 1.4 million people worldwide are suffering from healthcare acquired infections, and this number is increasing every day.

For more information on patient safety, visit www.who.int.