Vitalacy

respiratoryhygiene

Hand Hygiene Monitoring System - Hand Washing Sensor - Nosocomial Infection

Infection Preventionists and Antimicrobial Stewards Need Better Tools, Data and Support

A recently published paper (Nori et al., 2022) shines a light on the challenges endured by the infection prevention (IP) and antimicrobial stewardship (AS) workforce since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Published in Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology, the paper describes situations contributing to burnout, as described in the next three paragraphs, and suggests …

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Caring for a Newborn Baby - Preventing the Tripledemic

Experts Advise Handwashing, Other Precautions to Stop Spread During RSV, Flu and COVID ‘Tripledemic’

A Texas mom exemplifies the helplessness felt by many parents as the nation’s pediatric wards fill with young children afflicted by respiratory illnesses. After her 5-week-old daughter Lily experienced three days of supplemental oxygen at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, Rebecca Lara told ABC News’ Whit Johnson that she felt “helpless. You don’t really know …

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Vitalacy Blog - Hand Hygiene Monitoring System

Does Poor Hand Hygiene Compliance Contribute to Health Disparities Among Hospitalized Patients?

A review of medical research shows that racial and ethnic minorities, as well as individuals living under less-than-optimal socioeconomic conditions, are more likely to be hospitalized with serious medical conditions due to having less access to preventive care and to other socioeconomic factors. For example, Doshi, et al., 2017, provides proof that racial and ethnic …

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Hand Hygiene Monitoring System

Four Secrets of Hand Hygiene Compliance From An Infection Preventionist

Working as an infection preventionist (IP), I have been called a spy, an observer, and big brother watching you. I have been called these names by surveyors, senior executives, and clinical staff while I was monitoring and evaluating hand hygiene compliance. I have stood on units and watched the observations of staff by hand hygiene …

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Four Vitalacy SmartSensors on a white table

How Wearable Tech Can Improve Hand Hygiene Compliance

A lack of real-time feedback and coaching about hand hygiene was one of the major barriers to hand hygiene compliance, according to survey results presented by a hospital network at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) 2022 Annual Conference (Ward, 2022). Among the 1,001 health care workers who completed the survey, …

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Bustling train station with people walking under an ornate iron and glass roof.

‘We cannot simply vaccinate our way back to normal’

In a recent article for Infection Control Today (Aug. 8, 2022), Kevin Kavanaugh, M.D., warns of the triple threat of polio, monkeypox, and COVID variants. He calls upon infection preventionists to encourage the continued adoption of public health strategies. “It is apparent we cannot simply vaccinate our way back to normal,” he writes. Polio’s reemergence …

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Healthcare professional with overlaying holographic icons emphasizing various safety measures, centered around a "Safety First" badge.

Empty Sanitizer Dispensers, Lack of Reminders Major Barriers to Hand Hygiene Compliance Success

Have you ever been frustrated by an empty sanitizer dispenser when you have wanted to wash your hands? Would reminders to wash your hands be helpful during the course of a busy shift? Empty sanitizer dispensers and a lack of real-time feedback and coaching about hand hygiene can be major barriers to hand hygiene compliance, …

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Dedicated Student Studying - Infection Prevention Insights

How to Recruit, Train and Retain Infection Preventionists – Advice from the Frontlines

“People don’t realize the toll [the pandemic has] taken on the infectious disease response folks,” said infectious disease epidemiologist and infection preventionist (IP) Saskia Popescu in a recent Huffington Post article (Wong, 2022). Having experienced vitriol from people against scientists, Popescu remains committed to applying the infection prevention and control (IPC) lessons learned during the …

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Hand hygiene promotional graphic with a hand under a soap dispenser, surrounded by the text "Seconds save lives: Clean your hands!" and the World Health Organization logo.

WHO Report Reveals IPC Programs Emphasizing Hand Hygiene Can Reduce HAIs by 70%

The first-ever Global Report on Infection Prevention and Control from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that good hand hygiene and other cost-effective infection prevention and control (IPC) practices can prevent 70% of nosocomial infections also referred to as healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs). In addition, the new report states that hand hygiene and environmental hygiene in …

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Understanding the Correct and Incorrect Uses of Gloves for World Hand Hygiene Day

For this year’s World Hand Hygiene Day on May 5, starting an initiative to educate healthcare staff about the correct and incorrect uses of clinical gloves would be a worthy endeavor. Allow me to relate a personal experience I had that illustrates what unfortunately is an all-too-common situation in hospitals. My husband was recently hospitalized, …

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