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Infection prevention practices in the United States, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Japan: Results from national surveys

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2021

M. Todd Greene Open the ORCID record for M. Todd Greene [Opens in a new window] ,
Sarah L. Krein ,
Anita Huis ,
Marlies Hulscher ,
Hugo Sax ,
Fumie Sakamoto ,
Tomoko Sakihama ,
Yasuharu Tokuda ,
Karen E. Fowler  and
Sanjay Saint
M. Todd Greene*
Affiliation:
Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Sarah L. Krein
Affiliation:
Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Anita Huis
Affiliation:
Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, IQ Healthcare, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Marlies Hulscher
Affiliation:
Radboud University Medical Center, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, IQ Healthcare, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Hugo Sax
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Fumie Sakamoto
Affiliation:
Center for Quality Improvement, St Luke’s International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Tomoko Sakihama
Affiliation:
Division of Infection Control and Prevention, International University of Health and Welfare Graduate School, Tokyo, Japan
Yasuharu Tokuda
Affiliation:
Muribushi Okinawa Center for Teaching Hospitals, Urasoe City, Okinawa, Japan
Karen E. Fowler
Affiliation:
Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Sanjay Saint
Affiliation:
Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
*
Author for correspondence: M. Todd Greene, E-mail: mtgreene@med.umich.edu
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Abstract

Objective:

To assess the extent to which evidence-based practices are regularly used in acute care hospitals in different countries.

Design:

Cross-sectional survey study. Participants and setting: Infection preventionists in acute care hospitals in the United States (US), the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Japan.

Methods:

Data collected from hospital surveys distributed between 2015 and 2017 were evaluated to determine the use of practices to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Descriptive statistics were used to examine hospital characteristics and the percentage of hospitals reporting regular use of each infection prevention practice.

Results:

Survey response rates were 59% in the United States, 65% in the Netherlands, 77% in Switzerland, and 65% in Japan. Several recommended practices were used in the majority of hospitals: aseptic catheter insertion and maintenance (CAUTI), maximum sterile barrier precautions (CLABSI), semirecumbent patient positioning (VAP), and contact precautions and routine daily cleaning (CDI). Other prevention practices for CAUTI and VAP were used less frequently, particularly in Swiss and Japanese hospitals. Established surveillance systems were also lacking in Dutch, Swiss and Japanese hospitals.

Conclusions:

Most hospitals in the United States, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Japan have adopted certain infection prevention practices. Clear opportunities for reducing HAI risk in hospitals exist across all 4 countries surveyed.

Information

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 42 , Issue 10 , October 2021 , pp. 1206 - 1214
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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