Infection prevention and control: lessons from acute care in England

"This learning report is based on the findings of a large research study that identified and consolidated published evidence about infection prevention and control initiatives...The report considers what has been learned from the infection prevention and control work carried out over the last 15 years in hospitals in England. It looks at the lessons learned and outlines future directions for effective infection prevention and control." 

Infection prevention and control: lessons from acute care in England: Towards a whole health economy approach
The Health Foundation
November 2015

Read more here.

Using a theory of planned behaviour framework to explore hand hygiene beliefs

"Improving hand hygiene among health care workers (HCWs) is the single most effective intervention to reduce health care associated infections in hospitals. Understanding the cognitive determinants of hand hygiene decisions for HCWs with the greatest patient contact (nurses) is essential to improve compliance."

Using a theory of planned behaviour framework to explore hand hygiene beliefs at the ‘5 critical moments’ among Australian hospital-based nurses

KM White et al.
BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:59  doi:10.1186/s12913-015-0718-2

Read more here.

Quantification of the Hawthorne effect in hand hygiene compliance monitoring

"Hand hygiene event rates were approximately threefold higher in hallways within eyesight of an auditor compared with when no auditor was visible and the increase occurred after the auditors’ arrival. This is consistent with the existence of a Hawthorne effect localised to areas where the auditor is visible and calls into question the accuracy of publicly reported hospital hand hygiene compliance rates."

Quantification of the Hawthorne effect in hand hygiene compliance monitoring using an electronic monitoring system: a retrospective cohort study
JA Srigley, CD Furness, GR Baker, M Gardam
BMJ Quality and Safety 2014;23:974-980 doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2014-003080

Read more here.

NICE infection prevention and control quality standard

"The quality standard for infection prevention and control specifies that services should be commissioned from and coordinated across all relevant agencies. A person-centred, integrated approach that promotes multi-agency working is fundamental to delivering high-quality care and preventing and controlling infection."

Quality standard: infection prevention and control (QS61)
NICE
April 2014

Read more here.

NICE Quality Standard: Surgical site infection (QS49)

"This quality standard covers the prevention and treatment of surgical site infection for adults, children and young people undergoing surgical incisions through the skin, in all healthcare settings."

NICE Quality Standard: Surgical site infection (QS49)
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
October 2013

Read more here.

Barriers and levers to best hand hygiene practice among healthcare practitioners

"This study has produced encouraging findings suggesting the potential for improved hand hygiene and resulting effects on the human and financial costs of healthcare associated infection."

Development of a theory-based instrument to identify barriers and levers to best hand hygiene practice among healthcare practitioners
J Dyson, R Lawton, C Jackson, F Cheater
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:111

Read more here.

Comparison of strategies to reduce MRSA rates in surgical patients

"In surgical wards with relatively low MRSA prevalence, a combination of enhanced standard and MRSA-specific infection control approaches was required to reduce MRSA rates."

Comparison of strategies to reduce meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus rates in surgical patients: a controlled multicentre intervention trial
AS Lee, et al.
BMJ Open, 2013, 3:e003126

Read more here.

Time to act: severe sepsis: rapid diagnosis and treatment saves lives

"Better care could lead to savings in 8 Time to act - Severe sepsis: rapid diagnosis and treatment saves lives terms of reduced length of hospital stay and less intensive care and renal dialysis."

Time to act: severe sepsis: rapid diagnosis and treatment saves lives
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
September 2013

Read more here.

Lining up: How do improvement programmes work?

"This is the second report examining aspects of the Health Foundation’s Lining Up project – an investigation into interventions to reduce central line infections."

Lining up: How do improvement programmes work?
The Health Foundation
August 2013

Read more here.

Improving infection control

"Improved implementation of procedural good practice may occur through many different routes, of which program participation is only one."

Explaining Matching Michigan: an ethnographic study of a patient safety program
M Dixon-Woods, M Leslie, C Tarrant, J Bion
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:70

Read more here.

Targeted versus universal decolonization to prevent ICU infection

"In routine ICU practice, universal decolonization was more effective than targeted decolonization or screening and isolation in reducing rates of MRSA clinical isolates and bloodstream infection from any pathogen."

Targeted versus universal decolonization to prevent ICU infection
SS Huang, et al.
New England Journal of Medicine, 2013, May 29th

Read more here.

Integrating human factors with infection prevention and control

"In this thought paper, the authors discuss the application of human factors principles within infection prevention and control activities."

Integrating human factors with infection prevention and control
J Storr, N Wigglesworth, C Kilpatrick
The Health Foundation
May 2013

Read more here.

Protecting healthcare workers from sharps injuries

"Regulations implementing EU law (the“Sharps Directive”– European Council Directive 2010/32/EU) come into force across the UK on 11 May 2013. All NHS employers and employees need to be aware of and act upon the additional requirements (over and above existing health and safety legislation) resulting from the new regulations."

Protecting healthcare workers from sharps injuries
NHS European Office - NHS Employers
May 2013 - Issue 13

Read more here.

Two different strategies for promoting hand hygiene in hospital nurses

"In summary, with this study we were able to look inside the ‘black box’ of two hand hygiene improvement strategies, to generate insights into which strategy components are effective."

Explaining the effects of two different strategies for promoting hand hygiene in hospital nurses: a process evaluation alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial
A Huis, G Holleman, T van Acterberg, R Grol, L Schoonhoven, M Hulscher
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:41

Read more here.

Lining up: how is harm measured?

"Lessons from an ethnographic research study of interventions to reduce central line infections."

Learning report: Lining up: how is harm measured?
The Health Foundation
February 2013

Read more here.

Prevention and control of infection in care homes

"The steps taken in care homes to protect residents and staff from infection represent an important element in the quality of care, particularly as some infections have the capacity to spread within environments where susceptible people share eating and living accommodation."

Prevention and control of infection in care homes -  an information resource
Department of Health, Health Protection Agency
February 2013

Read more here.

Reducing colorectal surgical site infections

"In partnership with the American College of Surgeons, the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare led a multi-institutional collaboration of seven leading U.S. hospitals, which was established to reduce colorectal SSIs."

Reducing colorectal surgical site infections
Joint Commission's Center for Transforming Healthcare
December 2012

Read more here.

Cost comparison of MRSA screening and management

"It was shown that universal MRSA screening strategies are far more cost-intensive than the targeted screening approaches."

Cost comparison of MRSA screening and management: a decision tree analysis
A Tubbicke, C Hubner, NO Hubner, C Wegner, A Kramer, S Flessa
BMC Health Services Research, 2012, 12:438

Read more here.

A systematic review of hand hygiene improvement strategies

"Addressing only determinants such as knowledge, awareness, action control, and facilitation is not enough to change hand hygiene behaviour."

A systematic review of hand hygiene improvement strategies: a behavioural approach
A Huis, T van Achterberg, M de Bruin, R Grol, L Schoonhoven, M Hulscher
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:92

Read more here.

Use of hand hygiene interventions improves with psychological theory

"This qualitative study demonstrated the value in using psychological theories commonly used in knowledge translation to explore barriers and facilitators to current hand hygiene (HH) practices and when implementing an intervention to improve HH practice."

Using psychological theory to inform methods to optimize the implementation of a hand hygiene intervention
VM Boscart, GR Fernie, JH Lee, SB Jaglal
Implementation Science, 2012, 7:77

Read more here.