It's not news to health professionals, but it still bears repeating--basic precautions like hand washing can do much to prevent hospital-acquired infections. The latest round of studies documenting this comes from the American Journal of Medical Quality, which published three studies underlining this conclusion. The studies concluded that in addition to frequent hand washing, health professionals should take care to wear gowns and other infection-proof clothing when conducting procedures and isolate patients when need be. On the process side, the authors also suggested that hospitals keep traffic in and out of operating rooms at a minimum, and to minimize the ominously-growing list of treatment-resistant infections, use antibiotics carefully.
For more information on the study:
- read this article [1] from the Washington Post
Related Articles:
Staph infections plague EDs. Article [2]
VHA program fights hospital-acquired infections. Article [3]
MRSA-CA danger to healthcare workers. Article [4]
Links:
[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/20/AR2006112001122.html
[2] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/staph-infections-plague-ers/2006-08-17
[3] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/vha-program-fights-hospital-acquired-infections/2006-11-17
[4] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/mrsa-ca-danger-to-healthcare-workers/2006-09-21