Infection control for long term care

Nosocomial infections are the major source of morbidity and mortality in long term care facilities, with an estimated 1.5 million infections occurring annually in the U.S., according to Nursing Homes magazine.

Senior care facilities have a legal and moral obligation to minimize the risk of infections to their residents and staff, but many facilities lack experienced infection control personnel and procedures.

Facilities must have a program that detects, prevents, controls and reports infections, which address such areas as food handling, laundry, waste disposal, employee health, pest control, visitation and safety.

Two of the most important components of an infection control plan are employee and resident health programs. An active employee health program prevents employees from spreading infections to patients and prevents employees from contracting infections at work. A resident health program covers issues such as resident hygiene, skin care, TB screening and immunization for pneumococcal pneumonia and influenza.

For more information, see http://www.nursinghomesmagazine.com/Current_Issue.htm?CD=983&ID=5082

Preventing hospital bed entrapment

In an effort to combat hospital bed entrapment, which has killed 413 patients since 1985, the FDA recently released guidelines to help healthcare organizations create safer sleeping environments for patients.

Elderly patients in hospitals and nursing homes, especially those who are frail, confused, or have uncontrollable body movement, are most vulnerable to entrapments, which have occurred in a variety of patient care settings, including hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

The guidelines identify special issues associated with hospital bed systems and suggestions for how healthcare facilities can assess existing beds. They characterize the body parts at risk for entrapment, the locations of hospital bed openings that are potential entrapment areas and the recommended test methods for assessing gaps in hospital bed systems.

“This guidance will assist healthcare facilities in making better informed decisions to ensure a safe sleeping environment,” said Larry Kessler, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “While not all patients are at risk for entrapment and not all beds pose a risk, this guidance will ensure that entrapment risks with current hospital bed systems are identified.”