Norovirus , a pathogen that often causes food poisoning and gastroenteritis , was responsible for 18.2 percent of all infection outbreaks and65 percent of ward closures in U.S. hospitals during a two-yearperiod, according to a new study published in the February issue ofthe American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), the official publication of APIC - the Association forProfessionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. A team of researchers from Chartis, Main Line Health System,Lexington Insurance Company, and APIC Consulting Services collectedsurvey responses from 822 APIC members who work in U.S. hospitalsregarding outbreak investigations at their institutions during 2008and 2009. The study was conducted to determine how often outbreakinvestigations are initiated in U.S. hospitals, as well as thetriggers for investigations, types of organisms, and controlmeasures including unit closures. Thirty-five percent of the 822 hospitals responding hadinvestigated at least one outbreak in the previous two years. Fourorganisms caused nearly 60 percent of the outbreaks: norovirus(18.2 percent), Staphylococcus aureus (17.5 percent), Acinetobacter spp (13.7 percent), and Clostridium difficile (10.3 percent). These results reflect 386 outbreak investigationsreported by 289 hospitals over a 24-month period. Medical/surgical units were the most common location of outbreakinvestigations (25.7 percent), followed by surgical units (13.9percent). Nearly one-third (29.2 percent) of outbreaks werereported in a category that included emergency departments,rehabilitation units, long-term acute care hospitals,psychiatric/behavioral health units, and skilled nursingfacilities. According to the results, the average number ofconfirmed cases per outbreak was 10.1 and the average duration was58.4 days. Unit closures were reported in 22.6 percent of thecases, causing an average 16.7 bed closures for 8.3 days. Of reported outbreaks, only 132 (52.2 percent) of investigationswere reported to an external agency, with just 71 (28.4 percent)involving assistance in the investigation by an external resource.In most states, reporting to the state health department isrequired and can provide hospitals with expertise to expedite andexpand their outbreak investigations. "It is clear that outbreaks of healthcare-associated infectionsoccur with some frequency in hospitals as well as nonacutesettings," state the authors. "An infection prevention and controlprogram and its staff should be prepared for all aspects of anoutbreak investigation through written policies and procedures aswell as communication with internal and external partners." Additional References Citations. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Mono Solar Panels Manufacturer , China Solar Powered Street Lights for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Solar Charging Controller.
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