The 33rd Annual Association for Vascular Access (AVA) Scientific Meeting will be held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas—and Eloquest Healthcare will be there in the Exhibit Hall at Booth #318! AVA 2019 will occur from October 4th – 7th (pre-conference workshops are on October 3rd). The four-day meeting has a packed schedule with general…
Eloquest Healthcare is excited to welcome Gwen Borlaug, MPH, CIC, FAPIC to the Eloquest Healthcare Blog! Gwen worked at the Wisconsin Division of Public Health (DPH) as the Director of the Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Program and as an infection prevention epidemiologist. She launched a statewide public health initiative to reduce surgical site infections, using a surgical…
Each year in the US more than 50 million surgeries are performed.1 Treatment of resulting surgical scars has driven decades of research, and it is estimated that in the US $20 billion per year is spent on scar treatment and management.2 Patients have made it clear that they are highly concerned about scarring after surgery…
As the weather warms up, conference season is in full bloom! Whether your first or your twentieth conference, you’ll be sure to make new connections and bring back some key takeaways to your facility (and maybe some free swag too). It’s easy to become overwhelmed at a multi-day conference, so we’ve put together some tips…
After years of decline, rates of cesarean deliveries (CDs) in the US increased to 32% of all births in 2017.[1] As a result, over a million mothers in the US are sent home from the hospital every year nurturing a newborn infant while simultaneously recovering from major surgery. This is of particular concern in the…
Since the “pay for performance” era began, hospital acquired conditions (HAC) have deservedly received a great deal of attention from hospitals, healthcare providers, payors, patients and families. For critical medical devices that pose danger to patients if they are dislodged [like vascular access devices, (VADs)], safety requires proper securement. Poor securement of VADs increases the…
In October of 2018, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) working together with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a series of Quick Observation Tools (QUOTs) to assist healthcare facilities in their infection prevention initiatives.[1] The tools, available for free download here, enable rapid assessment and remediation…
Eloquest Healthcare is excited to welcome back Jo Ann Brooks PhD, RN, FAAN, FCCP to the Eloquest Healthcare Blog! Jo Ann is the former System Vice President for Safety and Quality at Indiana University Health (a 16 hospital system) based in Indianapolis, IN. She lectures frequently on quality and CMS pay for performance measures and presently serves…
Vascular Access Devices and Dressing Adherence The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) agree that vascular access device (VAD) dressing integrity is a critical factor for the prevention of hospital‐ acquired infection. [1,2] In fact, dressing disruption is a major risk factor for central line‐associated bloodstream infections…
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Infusion Nurses Society (INS) agree that vascular access device (VAD) dressing integrity is a critical factor for the prevention of hospital-acquired infection.1,2 Russell Nassof, JD, founder of RiskNomics, discusses the importance of common sense in evidenced-based medicine, the issue of dressing disruption, the prominence…