Study: Tracking, control of hospital infections still tough

Despite the newly-intense scrutiny focused on hospital-acquired infections, new study suggests that hospitals are still getting their arms around some key infection controls, including control of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. So what's holding things back? In the study, by hospital consortium Premier Inc., 47 percent of 800 hospital infection-control professionals said that they didn't have enough staff to do the job, while 34 percent also said that funding and budget constraints were key issues. Among the infections which Medicare now won't pay for, 49 percent said catheter-associated urinary tract infections and 30 percent said pressure ulcers were the toughest to manage.

To get a handle on these problems, hospitals are increasingly using of information technology to track and manage HAIs, with 22 percent reporting that they'd implemented an automated surveillance system and 47 percent stating that they were actively considering implementing such technology.

To find out more about the study:
- read this Premier press release

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