Get Smart About Antibiotics Week: Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes

November 12-18, 2012 has been designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, highlighting the work of the CDC, state and local health departments, and non-profit and for-profit partners to educate people about the importance of appropriate antibiotic use in both community and healthcare settings.

The Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work and Get Smart for Healthcare programs are designed to educate consumers and healthcare providers about appropriate use of antibiotics. Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes is a two-page factsheet (also available in PDF on the webpage) which provides facts on antibiotic use; the scope of the problem in nursing homes; and provides suggestions for what nursing homes can do to avoid misusing antibiotics.

Safe Practices in Patient Care

Safe Practices in Patient Care is a serial publication dedicated to helping nurses caring for the critically and chronically ill to minimize medical errors by presenting clinically and evidenced-based safe practices. Safe Practices is also an accredited home-study program and is underwritten by an educational grant from Covidien Nursing Care. 

Past issues include:

Enteral Nutrition and Hydration in Long-term Care
by Peggi Guenter, PhD, RN, CNSN

Safe Practices in Long-term Wound Care
By Catherine T. Milne, APRN, MSN, BC, CWOCN

Aspiration Pneumonia due to Enteral Tube Feeding.
by Carol McGinnis RN, MS, CNSN

Early Enteral Nutrition Following Cardiovascular Surgery.

New: Overcoming Challeges to CAUTI Prevention Online Program.

Working Together to Prevent and Control Infections A study of the arrangements for infection prevention and control between hospitals and care homes

From the UK Care Quality Commission, this report is about those infections that are associated with the care provided by healthcare organizsations or care homes.

Little is known about the risks associated with care homes, particularly the arrangements for preventing and controlling infections at the interface between acute and long term care.

The report investigates these specific issues:

• How is information shared between health and social care settings?
• How is information shared with people living in a care home and their relatives?
• What kinds of advice and support are available to care homes?
• How are care staff trained and supported in preventing and controlling infections?

http://www.cqc.org.uk/_db/_documents/Working_together_to_prevent_and_control_infections.pdf

Bulletin of Geriatrics and Stroke Medicine: July 2009 issue

This newsletter is edited by Declan O'Kane, MD, FRCP, Consultant Physician, Stroke and Geriatric Medicine, East and North Hertfordshire, NHS.

Articles in the July 2009 issue include:

• hospital acquired infections
• comprehensive guide to delirium
• managing diabetes in the elderly

http://www.dok.org.uk/BGSM_july2009.pdf

Dementia Now: Infection Control Issue, May 2009

The May issue of Dementia Now, newsletter of the University of Stirling, Dementia Services Development Centre is now available. This issue's featured topic is Infection Control, and includes a concise article, web resources, and further reading.

The newsletter also includes news items and recently published articles and books on dementia.

http://www.dementia.stir.ac.uk/pdffolder/DementiaNow-Vol6-Part5-May09-InfectionControl.pdf

Fever and Infection in Long-Term Care Facilities: New Practice Guideline

In recognition of the unique challenges faced by long term care facilities with regard to hosts and resources in infection control, the Infectious Diseases Society of America first provided guidelines for evaluation of fever and infection in long term care facilities in 2000. The second edition, updated from data over the past eight years, has just been released.

The guideline is available for download. A PDA version is also available.

http://www.idsociety.org/content.aspx?id=4434#fi