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Glowing Eyes of Cattle May Aid Prion Disease Detection
Scientists are reporting evidence that a glimpse into the eyes of cattle may become the basis for a long-sought test to detect infection with the agent that causes Mad Cow Disease. That test could help prevent the deadly disease from spreading in the food supply.
Researchers found that retinas of sheep infected with scrapie, a disease similar to Mad Cow Disease, emit a characteristic glow when examined with a beam of light from a special instrument. The team suggests that eye tests could become important in the future for fast, inexpensive diagnosis of prion diseases (such as Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, the human form of Mad Cow Disease), and other neurological diseases. The study on using the tell-tale glow given off by eyes of cattle infected with the Mad Cow agent appears in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
Study Finds Lapses in Infection Control Practices at ASCs
In regard to infection control, it appears ambulatory surgery centers may need to step up their efforts. An assessment of nearly 70 ambulatory surgical centers in three states found that lapses in infection control were common. These shortcomings were tied to such practices as hand hygiene, injection and medication safety, and equipment reprocessing, according to a study in the June 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The JAMA study included the inspection of ASCs in three states, with selection based on geographic dispersion, number of ASCs each state committed to inspect, and relative cost per inspection. Sample size was based on the number of inspections each state estimated it could complete between June and October 2008. Sixty-eight ASCs were assessed; 32 in Maryland, 16 in North Carolina, and 20 in Oklahoma. Surveyors from CMS, trained in use of an audit tool, assessed compliance with specific infection control practices, focusing on five areas of infection control: hand hygiene, injection safety and medication handling, equipment reprocessing, environmental cleaning, and handling of blood glucose monitoring equipment.
Overall, 46 of 68 pilot ASCs (67.6%) had at least one lapse in infection control noted by surveyors and 17.6% of the facilities had lapses identified in three or more of the five infection control categories. Twelve of 62 facilities (19.4%) were noted to have a lapse in adherence to hand hygiene or appropriate use of personal protective equipment (i.e., gloves); 28.4% of 67 facilities had deficiencies related to injection practices or medication handling, primarily through use of single-dose vials for more than one patient.
Of particular interest to Central Sterile Supply Department professionals, 19 of 67 facilities (28.4%) failed to adhere to recommended practices regarding reprocessing of surgical equipment. Twelve (18.8%) of 64 facilities did not appropriately clean high-touch surfaces in patient care areas; and 25 (46.3%) of 54 facilities had lapses in appropriate handling of equipment used for blood glucose monitoring. The percentage of inspections with deficiencies related to infection control during this pilot was more than six-fold greater than the number reported to CMS nationally during the 12-month period from October 1, 2006, to September 30, 2007.
Although the inspection process plays an important role in assessing and improving infection control practices, ASCs must also take a more active role, the authors noted. To assist that effort, CMS has made the ASC infection control audit tool available online. Facilities should review the audit tool and evidence-based guidelines to ensure that their policies reflect best practices and that their staff understand and follow the procedures outlined in their written policies. Ambulatory surgical centers should also perform regular self-audits using the infection control tool and the tracer methodology described in this article. Finally, public health agencies at the state and federal levels must continue to work closely with ASCs to improve infection control practices in these facilities, the authors conclude. Visit JAMA for the abstract.
AAMI Heads Home
The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) has created a new home healthcare committee called Medical Devices and Systems in Home Care Applications to tackle home healthcare issues, which complements the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) initiative.
The committee will begin discussing which specific projects to undertake; potential projects include contributing to the upcoming standard IEC 60601-1-11, which focuses on homecare applications of medical equipment. “The standard will raise the bar for healthcare devices specifically intended to be used in the home environment in terms of safety of construction and installation, electromagnetic isolation, and safety when in use,” noted committee co-chair Denny Treu, vice president of research for NxStage Medical, a Lawrence, MA-based manufacturer of an FDA-cleared home dialysis system. “I think a major focus of the committee’s work will be in the area of human factors and risk management.”
HIMSS Survey Explores RFID Technology Use
A recent survey from the Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS) found that nearly one-third of respondents believe that widespread use of RFID applications will benefit healthcare organizations in the area of patient safety. A similar percentage of respondents indicated that the ability to impact patient safety and/or reduce medical errors is the most critical influencer for the use of RFID applications in healthcare organizations. Interestingly, though, when it comes to actual utilization, respondents reported that they were much more likely to use RFID technology for non-patient-related purposes, such as for asset/biomedical equipment tracking or inventory management; however, only 1% indicated that they use RFID technology for surgical tray tracking.
The biggest barrier to RFID technology implementation in healthcare organizations is finding the budget for this technology, HIMSS noted, as was identified by nearly 40% of survey respondents. Another quarter of respondents noted that they need a better return on investment analysis before they will make this type of investment. Visit HIMSS for the survey
