CDC Advises Increased Prevention of Staph Infection Needed to Protect Residents

CDC Advises Increased Prevention of Staph Infection
Needed to Protect Residents

Providing inadequate infection control and prevention for residents may result in substandard quality of care, immediate jeopardy citations, and fines due to exposure of residents to serious harm, with potential for loss of Medicare and Medicaid funding.

Compliance Perspective – Staph Infection

Policies/Procedures: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Administrator and Infection Preventionist will review policies and procedures detailing the facility’s Infection Control Program.

Training: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Infection Preventionist will ensure that staff are trained to observe infection control and prevention protocols and to respond in a timely manner to concerns about potential infections.

Audit: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Infection Preventionist will conduct an audit to observe staff compliance in following infection control protocols in every department, and especially with food preparation and provision of care to residents.

In a press release issued Tuesday, March 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning about the need for healthcare providers to increase their prevention efforts against staph infections.

According to a new “Vital Signs” report issued by the CDC, more than 119,000 people suffered from bloodstream Staphylococcus aureus (staph) infections in the United States in 2017 – and nearly 20,000 died.

The risk for a serious staph infection is greatest when people stay in healthcare facilities or have surgery, when medical devices are placed in their body, when they inject drugs, or when they come into close contact with someone who has staph. To reduce the spread of staph in the community, everyone should keep their hands clean, cover wounds, and avoid sharing items that contact skin, like towels, razors, and needles, to prevent the spread of staph.

Healthcare providers and administrators can protect people by making staph prevention a priority. This includes implementing CDC recommendations, such as the use of Contact Precautions (gloves and gowns), continually reviewing their facility’s infection data using the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), and considering other interventions if they are not meeting infection reduction goals.

Based on the facility, additional prevention measures could include screening patients at high risk or decolonization (special bathing or medication that reduces germs people may carry and spread) at high risk periods or for certain types of procedures. Several healthcare systems in the United States have reported success after tailoring their approach to staph.