Hospital Readmission; Every American hospital has two front doors: The real one, and an imaginary revolving door. Any patient who winds up back in the hospital within a few weeks of getting out travels through that imaginary door. And the more of them there are, the more money their hospital stands to lose from the…
Hospital Sinks; Hand hygiene is a critical component of infection prevention in hospitals, but the unintended consequences include water splashing out of a sink to spread contaminants from dirty faucets according to new research presented last week in Philadelphia at the 46th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).…
Hospital Insects; More than 50% of bacteria recovered from flying insects in a group of English hospitals were resistant to one or more antibiotics, posing a potential infection risk to patients, according to a new study. The Aston University study collected almost 20,000 insect samples including houseflies, ‘filth flies’ such as bluebottles and green bottles…
Physicians need more education about breast density and breast cancer screening, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Women’s Health. Jordonna Brown, M.B.B.S., from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and colleagues survey local physicians (primary care providers [PCPs], radiologists, and gynecologists) regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices…
The IMWG team recommends that this more sophisticated technique and others; including PET-CT (positron emission tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) be introducing generally into clinical practices; newer imaging techniques are upgrading detection of the disease; leading to earlier treatment by new multiple myeloma imaging guidelines. The guidelines are basing in part on an examination…
Health care Policy; In this study Government policy and infrastructure have a substantial impact on hospitalization of older adults, according to a University of Waterloo study. The study examined the experiences of 254,664 patients in home care programs and 162,045 residents in long-term care in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. Health-relate policy and its implementation is complex. Conceptual models…
Inflammatory Marker Test; Blood tests that detect inflammation, known as inflammatory marker tests, are not sensitive enough to rule out serious underlying conditions and GPs should not use them for this purpose, according to researchers from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Exeter and the National Institute for Health Research…
Medicare system seeks to improve the care of older adults while also keeping costs from growing too fast, a new University of Michigan study suggests that one major effort may not be having as much of an impact as hoped. A new analysis of data from the Medicare Shared Savings Program finds that high-cost physicians…
Healthcare Workers; Large numbers of healthcare workers risk transmitting respiratory viruses to patients and co-workers by attending work even when they have symptoms, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. The study found that 95% of people working in healthcare settings…
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria; In this new observational study in France has conclude that while some types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread by contact between infect patients and visitors, other mechanisms may be just as important in the spread of certain other common bacteria. The authors suggest that more than just strict hand hygiene is need to…
Five Star Hospitals; If you’re looking for a top notch hospital with a wide range of services, narrowing your list to hospitals with a five-star patient experience rating might lead you astray. Many five-star hospitals offer fewer services than those without five stars, according to a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers published June 10…
Nurse under staffing is associated with an increased risk for health care associate infections (HAIs) among hospitalized patients, according to a study publish in the May issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration. Jingjing Shang, Ph.D., R.N., from the Columbia University School of Nursing in New York City, and colleagues analyze data from a large urban…