Health. Care. | An Educational Blog

No one could question the positive impact vaccines and the immunization they provide have had on global health. The World Health Organization estimates that immunizations prevent the deaths of between 2-3 million people each year - and could prevent an additional 1.5 million deaths if vaccination efforts were more globally available and accepted. Despite being one of the most cost-effective medical interventions, vaccines are still not universally available, especially in the developing world. And yet, even in those countries where vaccines are readily available, many individuals still choose not to be vaccinated. Who is impacted by this choice?

Last week we provided a big-picture overview of the healthcare supply chain, from supplier to patient. This week, we will dig deeper into this process and try to identify places along the supply chain where decisions can impact infection control and prevention. While all hospitals must meet EPA- and FDA-mandated standards for cleanliness and device protocols, there is room for individual choices in how each facility will prepare and respond to pathogens. So where along supply chain are decisions made that influence infection control?

We are fortunate to live in a nation that offers a rich variety of non-profit organizations that support our health and well-being, including groups whose sole focus is to eradicate HAIs. Today's post will explore one of the most important national groups working to end preventable hospital-associated infections, most commonly known as HICPAC.

As was the case with many healthcare challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic brought public attention to the issue of the healthcare supply chain. A complex network of supplies, manufacturers, distributors, and procurers spans the globe, navigating trade routes across land and sea, as well from "the cloud" to handheld devices. A complete explanation of the healthcare supply chain is not realistic for a single blog post, but today we will endeavor to give an overview for the folks who may not be aware of the scope of the supply chain that makes sure products are there when you need them. In a future post, we will look at where decisions are made to protect the patient from hospital-associated infections (HAIs).

If you spend any time at all in the world of infection control and prevention, you've run across the NHSN, or National Healthcare Safety Network. Those of us who are not directly involved with infection control, however, may lack a full understanding of what the NHSN truly is. Today's post is for those of us who work on the periphery of infection control efforts: An introduction to the NHSN.

A couple years back, the EOS^CU Team had the honor of presenting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) campus outside of Atlanta, GA. During the meeting with the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, we were able to share information about our product as well as data from our first clinical study. This meeting was anything but one-sided, however - the experts at the CDC were able to identify directions and partnerships we should explore in the future. This visit prompted us to present this post about the CDC, and what it does for our nation and the world on a daily basis.

We've covered Candida auris in this blog before. Not only has it been one of the pathogens of concern cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this fungus also infected record numbers of inpatients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This disease-causing pathogen has hit headlines once again, this time brining attention to troubling increases in rates and resistance. What can hospitals - and patients - do to avoid this dangerous hospital-associated infection?