'Old Blood' Linked to Hospital-Acquired Infections
from Fox News
 Hospital patients who receive a transfusion with older blood are more likely to face health problems, a study finds. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration allows for blood to be stored for 42 days before being discarded, Reuters reported. But, researchers at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J., found patients given transfusions of blood stored 29 days or longer are twice as likely to get a hospital-acquired infection. More
Objects Closest to Patients are Most Contaminated, Survey Finds
from Infection Control Today
The first stage of the U.S. Department of Defense-funded clinical trials exploring the role of hospital high-touch surfaces in the transmission of infectious pathogens has been completed and the researchers reported their findings in a poster session at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Washington, D.C. The data presented describe the first results of a three-phase study where the bioload found on stainless steel, plastic and aluminum objects in intensive care unit rooms were measured. Phases two and three of the study are ongoing. During these phases, the bioload on identical objects made of microbiocidal copper will be measured to determine the effectiveness of copper at combating hospital-acquired infections. More
Hospitals Bolster Patient Care with Integrative Approach
from Stamford Advocate
An integrative medicine and wellness program is focused on treating the whole person - mind, body and spirit - with safe, effective methods that tap contemporary and ancient healing practices, while encouraging an individualized plan that features collaboration between the physician and patient. Patients are encouraged to become active participants in their care, employing lifestyle changes that lead to optimal health. More
Less Hospital Beds Can Mean More Infections
from Public Service
The report into the outbreak of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospital Trust, carried out by the Healthcare Commission, and the number of deaths in this trust is an indictment of conditions of care in British hospitals. At the time of its release various commentators spoke of this as a one-off, something that was not typical. However, a similar report by the Healthcare Commission report one year earlier on a C. diff outbreak in Stoke Mandeville revealed the same issues. A recent outbreak of C. diff in a Northern Ireland trust with the related deaths of 54 patients since July 2008, 40 of which happened since January 2008, shows that basic issues in the management of beds and care may still have to be addressed. The number of deaths in Northern Ireland linked to C. diff has jumped five-fold since 2001. More
CMS Clarifies Guidance on Hospital Standing Orders
from AHA News Now
At the urging of the AHA and others, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued revised interpretive guidelines clarifying that standing orders and written protocols for drugs or biologicals may be used in hospitals. Memoranda containing the original guidelines were sent to state survey agency directors earlier this year. In a letter to CMS, the AHA warned that the original language was counter to accepted standards of care and would impede hospitals’ progress on quality improvement initiatives and could lead to patient harm.
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Five Tips for Selecting Cleanroom Gloves
from The Science Link
Changing or upgrading your cleanroom gloves is a process that requires time and due consideration. It is not to be undertaken quickly or lightly. Make the right decision and it could have a positive influence on both employee satisfaction and product/process yields. Make the wrong decision and you could be looking at hundreds, thousands, perhaps millions of dollars worth of rework, recalls and rejects if the gloves don’t perform as expected. More
Racial And Ethnic Disparities Detected In Patient Experiences
from Medical News Today
A study surveying patients in more than 1,500 physician practices has found racial and ethnic disparities in patient health-care experiences, with minority patients having worse experiences than white patients. The findings suggest that while all doctors should be attentive to differences in patient experiences, Hispanic, Native American, and black patients are often visiting physician practices that are less patient-centered. The study, which was led by a health services researcher at the University of Washington, appears in the October issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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Some MRSA Cases Resistant To Antibiotics
from Central Florida News 13
New research is showing that staph germs -- such as MRSA -- are harder than ever to treat.
Recent MRSA cases in Central Florida have caused an upswing in doctor visits from concerned parents and changed cleaning procedures at school districts in the area.
The latest research shows at least 10 percent of cases involving the most common community strain of the staph germ -- MRSA -- were able to evade the antibiotics typically used to treat them.
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