Showing posts with label infection rates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label infection rates. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Male Circumcision and Risk for HIV Transmission: Implications for the United States | Factsheets | CDC HIV/AIDS

Several types of research have documented that male circumcision significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition by men during penile-vaginal sex.

Biologic Plausibility

Compared with the dry external skin surface, the inner mucosa of the foreskin has less keratinization (deposition of fibrous protein), a higher density of target cells for HIV infection (Langerhans cells), and is more susceptible to HIV infection than other penile tissue in laboratory studies [2]. The foreskin may also have greater susceptibility to traumatic epithelial disruptions (tears) during intercourse, providing a portal of entry for pathogens, including HIV [3]. In addition, the microenvironment in the preputial sac between the unretracted foreskin and the glans penis may be conducive to viral survival [1]. Finally, the higher rates of sexually transmitted genital ulcerative disease, such as syphilis, observed in uncircumcised men may also increase susceptibility to HIV infection [4].

International Observational Studies

A systematic review and meta-analysis that focused on male circumcision and heterosexual transmission of HIV in Africa was published in 2000 [5]. It included 19 cross-sectional studies, 5 case-control studies, 3 cohort studies, and 1 partner study. A substantial protective effect of male circumcision on risk for HIV infection was noted, along with a reduced risk for genital ulcer disease. After adjustment for confounding factors in the population-based studies, the relative risk for HIV infection was 44% lower in circumcised men. The strongest association was seen in men at high risk, such as patients at sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics, for whom the adjusted relative risk was 71% lower for circumcised men.

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Friday, April 1, 2011

MRSA Protocols- Are They Being Used In Practice? | Registered Nurse Blog

Posted: April 2nd, 2011

In Advance For NPs and PAs, a March 9, 2011 article was featured on the following study of protocols used by health care providers to treat MRSA infections. I was surprised to see that some providers were still using Keflex to treat these infections. Some providers still were not sending cultures on these infections. How can we adequately treat an infection without knowing what will actually kill the bacteria? My impression of the following information is that the protocol that I do is somehow a new treatment regimen. I have been doing incision and drainage with appropriate culturing with first line Septra for the last 3 plus years. I also use mupricion ointment to nares twice daily and Hibaclens during the regimen if they have had more than one outbreak within a 6 month period.

Taking Aim at MRSA
Protocol use by an NP-PA team
Anita D. Barnes is a family nurse practitioner who is an assistant professor of nursing at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
A 2009 study reported a variety of approaches used by ED physicians to treat CA-MRSA SSTIs.6 The study surveyed 225 ED physicians nationwide: 56% reported always sending cultures for testing and 19% said they never did so. The physicians prescribed trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) 60% of the time, either alone or in combination with another antibiotic. Nineteen percent treated patients with cephalexin alone, and 13% prescribed cephalexin in combination with another antibiotic. Cephalexin is not recommended in the CDC protocol.

What are you doing as providers to treat MRSA infections? Do you find the information alarming that some providers are still not culturing infections?

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Andrew Lopez, RN
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Monday, March 21, 2011

Education Resources, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc APIC |

APIC works to provide information to both the general public and healthcare professionals. The brochures on this page are regularly reviewed and updated as needed to insure that the information provided is current. These materials are available for you to download, copy and distribute free of charge.  These pamphlets are intended to provide a general reference to each topic. No brochure can adequately diagnose a medical condition. If in doubt regarding your symptoms, please contact a healthcare professional.

 


  • 10 tips for preventing the spread of infection
  • Los Hechos Sobre Chlamydia
  • Antibiotic Safety
  • Meningococcal Meningitis
  • Chlamydia
  • Mold in Your Home
  • Companion Animals and Your Health
  • Patient Safety - Protecting Yourself from Medical Errors
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    Monday, February 28, 2011

    Fast response crucial in outbreaks of food-borne illness, study finds - USATODAY.com

    Nearly three years after a nationwide salmonella outbreak that sickened about 1,500 people and claimed two lives, U.S. epidemiologists have learned that speed is of the essence in identifying sources of food contamination and preventing further infection.

      But speed requires resources that cost money and, as an editorial accompanying the paper in the Feb. 23 online issue of the
    New England Journal of Medicine points out, funds may not be forthcoming.

    Although the recently signed Food Safety Modernization Act could help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration respond better to outbreaks of food-borne illness, the reality is that Congress still needs to authorize the money, the editorial stated.

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    Andrew Lopez, RN
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    Sunday, February 20, 2011

    Antiseptic baths 'reduce infection risk' | News | Nursing Times

    Using 2% chlorhexidine gluconate cloths for the daily bathing of inpatients, instead of soap and water, reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections, according to US researchers.

    The study found a 64% decrease in the risk of acquiring either MRSA or Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus. A group of 7,699 general medical patients were bathed daily by healthcare assistants with CHG antiseptic cloths for the duration of their admission, while a control group of 7,102 patients were bathed with soap and water.

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    Friday, February 18, 2011

    C. Difficile Spreads from Hospital to Community, ACG from MedPage Today

    Clostridium difficile infection has spread from the hospital to the community but has proved manageable thus far, according to data reported here.

    From 1991 to 2005, the incidence of community-acquired C. difficile in Olmsted County, Minn., quadrupled but still remained less common than the hospital-acquired gastrointestinal infection, Sahil Khanna, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said at the American College of Gastroenterology meeting.

    "Patients with community-acquired C. difficile infection were younger, more likely to be female, and less likely to have severe infections," Khanna observed.

    Epidemiologic studies have shown an increasing incidence of both nosocomial and community-acquired infections. However, few studies have looked at the incidence of community-acquired C. difficile, said Khanna.

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    Friday, February 11, 2011

    Balancing infection control with the patient experience, KevinMD.com

    by Kevin Pho, MD

    Hospitals have recently been stepping up their infection control procedures, in the wake of news about iatrogenic infections afflicting patients when they are admitted.

    Doctors are increasingly wearing a variety of protective garb — gowns, gloves and masks — while seeing patients.

    In an interesting New York Times column, Pauline Chen wonders how this affects the doctor-patient relationship.

    She cites a study from the Annals of Family Medicine, which concluded that,

    fear of contagion among physicians, studies have shown, can compromise the quality of care delivered. When compared with patients not in isolation, those individuals on contact precautions have fewer interactions with clinicians, more delays in care, decreased satisfaction and greater incidences of depression and anxiety. These differences translate into more noninfectious complications like falls and pressure ulcers and an increase of as much at 100 percent in the overall incidence of adverse events.

    Hospitals are in a no-win situation here. On one hand, they have to do all they can to minimize the risk of healthcare-acquired infections, but on the other, doctors need to strive for a closer bond with patients — which protective garb sometimes can impede.

    More research is clearly needed to determine how much protection is actually needed to prevent the spread of infectious disease.

    For instance, Dr. Chen cites studies where,

    researchers at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond found that the rate of infection was identical whether health care workers wore gowns and gloves with only the patients in isolation or whether they wore only gloves with all patients.

    So there’s some evidence that being overly protective may not necessarily help.

    The key is finding the right balance between infection control and preserving the physician-patient relationship. With rapidly advancing, and sometimes impersonal, technology, combined with the legitimate fear of hospital-acquired contagion, it’s easy to forget about the patient experience during their hospital stay.

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    Monday, January 3, 2011

    CDC - Seasonal Influenza (Flu) - Flu Activity & Surveillance

    Flu Activity & Surveillance

    Reports & Surveillance Methods in the United States

    Current United States Flu Activity Map Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report International Influenza Surveillance

    Situation Update: Summary of Weekly FluView

    Full FluView Report

    Overview of Influenza Surveillance in the United States

    Past Weekly Surveillance Reports and Historical Data

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    Wednesday, December 29, 2010

    Study: Surgical Delays Have Profoundly Adverse Impact | National Nursing News

    A new study emphasizes why caregivers must work to minimize delays in certain elective surgical procedures for patients who have been admitted to the hospital.

    Delays substantially increase the risk of infectious complications and raise hospital costs, according to a comprehensive study in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

    Using a nationwide sample of 163,006 patients ages 40 and older between 2003 and 2007, the authors evaluated patients who developed postoperative complications after one of three high-volume elective surgical procedures: coronary bypass graft, colon resections and lung resections.

    For each type of procedure, according to the researchers, infection rates increased significantly from those performed on the first day of admission to those performed a day later, two to five days later and six to 10 days later. With each procedure, there was a difference of at least 10 percentage points between infection rates performed on the day of admission and those performed six to 10 days later.

    Delays also increased total hospital costs from $36,079 to $47,5237 for CABG, $20,265 to $29,887 for colon resections and $26,323 to $30,571 for lung resections.

    The occurrence of infection after surgical procedures remains a major source of ill health and expense despite extensive prevention efforts via educational programs, clinical guidelines and hospital policies, according to the researchers.

    The analysis “confirms a direct correlation between delaying procedures and negative patient outcomes,” lead author Todd R. Vogel, MD, MPH, FACS, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, said in a news release.

    “As pay-for-performance models become increasingly prevalent, it will be imperative for hospitals to consider policies aimed at preventing delays and thereby reducing infection rates.”

    Patients more likely to experience in-hospital surgical delays were age 80 and older, female and minorities. They had existing health issues such as congestive heart failure, chronic pulmonary disease and renal failure.

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