Several manufacturers recently offered their perspectives to Repertoire on progress in reducing healthcare-acquired infections (as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), as well as on those areas where more work is needed.
“There is no doubt that patients are overall safer compared to a few years ago,” says Megan DiGiorgio MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, clinical manager, GOJO Industries. “Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) incidence rates have fallen due to increased federal, state and local attention to quality and patient safety. However, HAIs continue to take a major human toll on society. The latest HAI progress report highlights our success but is also reminder to not take our eyes off the ball.
“Hand hygiene remains at the core of all infection prevention efforts,” she says. “Many healthcare facilities have fundamentally changed the way they approach hand hygiene with a focus on substantially changing habits and having the difficult conversations that need to occur. For many, electronic hand hygiene monitoring has been a springboard to reaching next level improvement.
“When high quality products are combined with technology and a multimodal approach, sustained improvement and true culture and behavior change can occur. We look forward to more widespread adoption of hand hygiene technology and believe it’s the future.”
Says M. Jordan Smith, quality assurance and regulatory affairs leader for Ventyv®, “Infection prevention is at the forefront in the battle against healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). With the release of the 2017 Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report by the CDC, there is renewed buzz about HAIs, and deservedly so.
“Industry is using a multifaceted approach to this complex issue,” he continues. “However, we must ensure our efforts coalesce effectively. Cooperative hygiene programs – like the Hand Hygiene Project from 2010 – can be seen popping up across the industry. Healthcare facilities are employing dynamic infection prevention and infection control programs based on the best information available. Additionally, these facilities remain flexible in their approach, often modifying their policies and procedures – a key to fighting complacency. FDA and other government agencies are creating policy and initiatives to aid the fight.
“Manufacturers of medical devices are joining the fight, too, by creating new devices that are less invasive, anti-microbial, and more durable. Ventyv remains ever optimistic about infection prevention efforts.”