Profession
Few hospitals report adopting guidelines to help prevent infections
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Oct. 22, 2007
Nearly 90% of more than 1,200 hospitals taking part in a recent patient safety survey said they have not implemented changes aimed at preventing four costly, deadly and common hospital-acquired infections.
The Leapfrog Group surveyed facilities about their efforts to prevent surgical site infections, hospital-acquired influenza, central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. The results released last month showed that only 13% of hospitals were in full compliance with evidence-based recommendations.
On a condition-by-condition basis, the percentage of hospitals that made recommended changes ranged from 30.7% for influenza to 38.5% for ventilator-associated pneumonia.
In addition to questions about hospitals' implementation of condition-specific clinical changes, the survey asked whether hospitals track the severity and frequency of infections and whether management is held accountable for system outcomes.
The Leapfrog Group was founded in 1998 by a coalition of large employers pushing for improved health care quality, patient safety and cost efficiency.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that hospital-acquired infections kill 90,000 Americans every year.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/10/22/prbf1022.htm.