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Between 2000 and 2005, the incidence of hospitalizations for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) nearly doubled. So did the fatality rate from this infection. Risk factors for CDI (such as the use of certain antibiotics and gastric acid suppressors, age over 65, and hospitalization) are so common that CDI poses a continuing danger. To help reduce that danger, recent research has identified ways for you and your colleagues to prevent and manage CDI. 

Q: Based on the 2010 standards, how did The Joint Commission change the goal for healthcare organizations to demonstrate compliance with hand hygiene guidelines in the National Patient Safety Goals?

• A. The Joint Commission increased the goal for compliance with hand hygiene guidelines from 90% to 100%.
• B. The Joint Commission decreased the goal for compliance with hand hygiene guidelines from 90% to 80%.
• C. The Joint Commission kept its goal for compliance with hand hygiene guidelines at 90% until January 2011.
• D. The Joint Commission allows healthcare organizations to set their own goals for compliance with hand hygiene guidelines.

Most nurse educators agree that a gap exists between nursing education and nursing practice. To fill this gap, many of them have augmented new graduate nurses’ knowledge with blended learning, using clinical practice labs and clinical site experiences. Now, more nurse educators are turning to clinical simulations to help fill the gap—and with good reason.

How do hospitals attract and retain the very best nurses? As described in the previous Connect blog post, What It Takes to Be 'Magnetic', magnet hospitals must demonstrate fourteen clearly defined characteristics, according to the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program®. These characteristics foster the highest quality of care—and attract the best and brightest nurses. They also make these “magnet” hospitals among the most desirable employers.

With the U.S. population aging, chronic heart failure is on the rise. Now healthcare professionals must diagnose and manage this complex, life-threatening syndrome more effectively than ever. To help, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association provide complete practice guidelines for the four stages of heart failure.

Mosby, the leader in nursing publishing, joins with the ENA, the leader in emergency nursing practice, to connect you and your staff with the most current clinical information available. As an ENA member, you and your staff will have access to a special edition of Mosby’s Nursing Skills and Mosby’s Nursing Consult – at no additional cost. 

Every 45 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke (cerebrovascular accident). Every 3 to 4 minutes, someone dies from a stroke. Of those over 65 who survive, 60% need assistance to walk, and 26% are in a nursing home 6 months afterward. Fortunately, recent research has identified ways to minimize the effects of strokes and reduce their recurrence. 

Staff are not required by The Joint Commission to receive the influenza vaccine. The Joint Commission wants you to take steps to increase influenza vaccination rates through education and accessibility, but does not suggest that you force licensed independent practitioners and staff to take the vaccine.

In a collaborative study, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has released a significantly condensed collection of best infection prevention practices. This new version is a landmark edition that promises to be more readable, practical, and easier to implement.