Cutting edge technology at the service of progress! Researchers at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, have developed a narrow specter light (HINS) that is able to destroy the most virulent bacteria by decontaminating air and various surfaces. Technological innovations useful in the fight against infections are more and more numerous but have yet to penetrate the hospital market due to lack of information, resistance to innovation within the health care system, and high costs.
The patient's role needs to change. "By being vigilant and proactive, patients can avoid risky situations" according to several specialists interviewed for an article concerning the state of health care in France's hospitals in 2011. The article was published by l'Express, a French magazine, Nov. 2010.
"The closer soap dispensers are to patients, the more likely they are to use them," notes Claire Bégin, coordinator of the Infection Prevention and Control program at Hôtel-Dieu-de-Lévis Hospital near Quebec City. Often, the simplest solutions are the best. The hospital's carpenter patented a bottle holder that can be hooked on to patient's beds.
PHILADELPHIA -- As many as 70% of certain cases of healthcare-acquired infections may be preventable with current evidence-based strategies according to a new study by Craig A. Umscheid, MD, MSCE, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Director of the Center for Evidence-based Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Healthcare-acquired infections are infections that occur during a hospitalization and that are not present prior to hospital admission. Read more.
