A national preventive program that promotes evidence-based infection prevention and control practices can curb the risk of infection by streamlining the dissemination of information to nursing home staff.
An assessment published in December’s American Journal of Infection Control reviewed the benefits and challenges of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Safety Program for Long-Term Care.
The preventive approach was instituted at more than 400 participating nursing homes between 2014 and 2016.
The goal was to decrease catheter-associated urinary tract infections by improving safety culture, teamwork and communication.
Some 150,000 U.S. nursing home residents get a urinary catheter each year, and half develop a related infection.
Researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine that community-based nursing homes that used the AHRQ approach lowered that rate by 54%.
The AHRQ project developed a toolkit that reflects participants’ experiences.
“A national collaborative can empower [infection preventionists] to play an active role in supporting infection- related practice changes, while instilling a more robust resident-safety culture across U.S. nursing homes,” said Sarah L. Krein, Ph.D., R.N., lead author and professor at the University of Michigan’s Department of Internal Medicine.
From the February 01, 2018 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
