HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS (HAI'S)

Hi to all my blog-spot friends... This was sent to me to send out and get the word out regarding HAI's. As I look at this, the more committed we need to be to reduce these infections. In addition to some GREAT information, (and websites) they also have CE credits available.

Please take the time to read and learn about HAI's.

Thanks!!! L : )


HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS (HAI'S)
(reproduced in part from http://www.haiwatchnews.com/ with consent from www.haiwatch.com)

When someone develops an infection at a hospital or other patient care facility that they did not have prior to treatment, this is referred to as a healthcare-associated (sometimes hospital-acquired) infection (HAI).Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global crisis affecting both patients and healthcare workers.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at any point in time, 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infections acquired in hospitals.A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report published in March-April 2007 estimated the number of U.S. deaths from healthcare associated infections in 2002 at 98,987.The risk of acquiring healthcare-associated infections in developing countries is 2-20 times higher than in developed countries.

Afflicting thousands of patients every year, HAI often leads to lengthening hospitalization, increasing the likelihood of readmission, and adding sizably to the cost of care per patient.Financially, HAIs represent an estimated annual impact of $6.7 billion to healthcare facilities, but the human cost is even higher.Until recently, a lack of HAI reporting requirements for healthcare facilities has contributed to less-than-optimal emphasis being placed on eliminating the sources of healthcare associated infections. However, growing public anxiety regarding the issue and resulting legislation on state and local levels demanding accountability is serving to accelerate initiatives to combat HAIs.To learn more about the impact of healthcare-associated infections for both medical professionals and patients, please visit www.haiwatch.com.
About Not on My Watch Prevention Campaign.

To protect patients by reducing the risk of HAI, healthcare professionals must continually update their knowledge of infection management.
As part of an ongoing commitment to quality care and infection prevention, nationwide doctors and hospitals are partnering with Kimberly-Clark to deliver continuing education programs on healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevention to staff and management. As simple as education sounds, busy doctors and nurses on the front lines of delivering care can find it difficult to find the time to take advantage of scheduled programs within their hospitals.

The HAI Education Program is part of a national infection awareness campaign for healthcare professionals called “Not on My Watch” and will provide the facility with a toolkit that contains informational flyers, patient safety tips and posters.

The "Not on My Watch" campaign provides accredited continuing education (CE) programs based on best practices and guidelines as well as research available on reducing the incidence of healthcare-associated infections.

For details about the "Not On My Watch" campaign, and the HAI Education Bus please visit www.HAIwatch.com.