New & Noteworthy from ICT
Managing and Treating Wound Infection: Taking a Holistic Approach
This Week’s Hot News
Groups Ask Obama to Rethink N95 Issue
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announced that the organization, along with SHEA and the IDSA, have issued a letter to President Obama expressing concern over the current federal guidance surrounding the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by healthcare workers in treating suspected or confirmed cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza. MORE
ICT Conference Offers Free Education in the Convenience of Your Home or Office
The fourth annual ICT Conference on Professional Development, to be held Feb. 9-10, 2010, is 100 percent virtual and offers free contact hours of continuing education. This dynamic online conference offers guidance from experts on the hottest topics pertaining to infection prevention, quality improvement, making the business case for infection control, and so much more. For more information on the agenda, faculty and the registration process, CLICK HERE.
APIC Offers Legal and Regulatory Education Event
The conference, “Healthcare-Associated Infections: The Changing Legal and Regulatory Landscape,” is APIC’s first hybrid education event in which attendees may participate in person or via live Webcast. The event will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. The keynote speaker is Peter J Pronovost, MD, PhD, FCCM, professor in the departments of anesthesiology and critical care medicine and surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Department of Health Policy & Management. The conference is designed to provide healthcare professionals with pertinent information about the impact of regulations and to prepare healthcare facilities for HAI-related legal issues and the implications of reporting HAIs. To access the brochure,CLICK HERE. To register online, CLICK HERE.
Free Webinar to Address C. diff Infections
The free Webinar, “Unique Characteristics of Clostridium difficile, its Complications and the Strategies Required for its Prevention,” sponsored by Kimberly Clark Health Care’s Knowledge Network, will be held live starting at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009. The speaker is Wava M. Truscott, PhD, MBA, and she will address the impact of Clostridium difficile as well as describe best practices and new technologies designed to prevent its transmission. For more information and to register,CLICK HERE.
CDC Solicits Input on Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a request for public comments on the agency’s draft guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. MORE
Maryland Hospital Hand Hygiene Collaborative is Launched
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown today kicked off the Maryland Hospital Hand Hygiene Collaborative campaign to enhance the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in Maryland hospitals. MORE
Common Pain Relievers May Dilute Power of Flu Shots
With flu vaccination season in full swing, research from the University of Rochester Medical Center cautions that use of many common pain killers – Advil, Tylenol, aspirin – at the time of injection may blunt the effect of the shot and have a negative effect on the immune system. MORE
Report on H1N1 Cases in California Shows Hospitalization Can Occur At All Ages, With Many Severe
In contrast with some common perceptions regarding 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infections, an examination of cases in California indicates that hospitalization and death can occur at all ages, and about 30 percent of hospitalized cases have been severe enough to require treatment in an intensive care unit, according to a study in the Nov. 4 issue of JAMA. MORE
High-Priority Adults Unable to Get H1N1 Vaccine
A new national poll from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that a majority of adults who tried to get the H1N1 vaccine for themselves or their children have been unable to do so. MORE
Inappropriate Initial Antibiotic Treatment May Extend Stays for Patients with Healthcare-Associated Skin Infections
Patients who acquire skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in a hospital or other healthcare setting may be more likely to receive inappropriate antibiotic therapy at the beginning of their treatment. As a result, they also may have significantly longer hospital stays to control the infection. MORE
Cost-Effectiveness of the Hospital Infection Control Response
When it comes to preventing the spread of respiratory infections in a hospital, is it better to adopt the most stringent measures possible or a more moderate approach? MORE
Plasma-in-a-Bag for Sterilizing Devices
The practice of sterilizing medical tools and devices helped revolutionize healthcare in the 19th century because it dramatically reduced infections associated with surgery. MORE
Silver and Copper Bullets to Kill Bacteria
Dana Filoti of the University of New Hampshire will present thin films of silver and copper she has developed that can kill bacteria and may one day help to cut down on hospital-acquired infections. MORE
Patients With More Difficult to Treat Forms of Hepatitis C are Half as Likely to Treat the Disease
A new study by Mount Sinai researchers has for the first time found that patients with more difficult to treat forms of hepatitis C are half as likely to initiate treatment for the disease, when compared to patients with hepatitis C that is easier to treat.MORE
Map of Human Bacterial Diversity Shows Wide Interpersonal Differences
A University of Colorado at Boulder team has developed the first atlas of bacterial diversity across the human body, charting wide variations in microbe populations that live in different regions of the body and which aid us in physiological functions that contribute to our health. MORE
Cruising for a Norovirus Infection?
A team of researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), Carney Hospital, Cambridge Health Alliance and Tufts University School of Medicine, have found that widespread poor compliance with regular cleaning of public restrooms on cruise ships may predict subsequent norovirus infection outbreaks (NoVOs). MORE
Experts Applaud New Task Force on Global Antibiotic Resistance Threat
Experts on both sides of the Atlantic applaud President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, representing the European Union (EU) presidency, for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance, an urgent and growing problem that threatens patient safety and public health worldwide. MORE
NIAID Announces New Human Immunology Research Awards to Help Fight Emerging Infectious Diseases
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism. MORE
The Bug Buster Blog
Catch up on these flu-related blog posts:
- Germs on a Plane
- It’s a Small (Contagious) World After All!
- Lessons Learned from the Flu Vaccine Shortage
- Flu-Related Etiquette
Bill’s Blog
When Does One Become Paranoid?
The Pathogen Podium
Tackling Performance Improvement in Your Facility
Community Q&A
Long Hair and SSIs: Any Connection?
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