Breaking the Chain of Infection: Device-level Infection Control in Patient Care

A recent article reported that CMS will trim 800 hospitals’ Medicare payments in 2019 for having the highest rates of patient injuries and infections*. It’s often overlooked that technology in patient environments can serve as a vector for healthcare associated infections (HAI). In fact, 40% of inpatient infections can be attributed to cross-infection via healthcare personnel’s hands initially coming into contact with contaminated fomites**. Join HP for a brief yet informative 30 minutes with our Healthcare Specialists and guest expert Dr. Mary Cooper, in this timely and efficient discussion on breaking the chain of cross-infection in patient care environments. Review situations where (HAI) resulted from device contamination Discuss proper cleaning and sanitizing methodologies to prevent infection Describe the use of information technology and big data to identify high-risk situations and devices and use that information to decrease infection risk * https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/cms-cuts-payments-to-800-hospitals-for-patient-safety-incidents.html ** Weber DJ, Rutala WA, Miller MB et al. Role of hospital surfaces in the transmission of emerging health care-associated pathogens: norovirus, Clostridium difficile, and Acinetobacter species. Am J Infect Control 2010; 38:25–33