KINGSTON, Ontario, Feb 20, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Infection prevention and
control resources in Canadian nursing homes fall short of recommended standards,
a Queen's University study shows.
Study leader Dr. Dick Zoutman, medical director of infection prevention and
control at Kingston General Hospital and Providence Care, said the national
survey of 488 facilities is the first comprehensive examination of these
resources and programs in almost 20 years.
"It's critical that vulnerable long-term care residents be protected from
largely preventable infections," Zoutman said in a statement. "More and
better-trained infection control professionals are essential to providing
effective infection surveillance and control programs."
The 2005 survey findings, published online in the American Journal of Infection
Control, include:
-- The average number of full-time equivalent infection control professionals
per 250 beds was 0.6, compared to the recommended 1.0.
-- 8 percent of infection control professionals were certified.
-- One-fifth of long-term care facilities had physicians or doctoral-level
professions providing service to the infection control program.
-- 51 percent of long-term care facilities are conducting less than 80 percent
of suggested control activities to prevent the spread of infections.
"Many essential infection control activities in long-term care facilities are
not being performed, resulting in increased morbidity, mortality and financial
expense," study co-author Doug Ford of Queen's University said.
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