Billion Dollars In Costs Research Articles

Prevention of Device-Related Healthcare-Associated Infections.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Up to 15% of patients develop an infection while hospitalized in the United States, which accounts for approximately 1.7 million HAIs, 99,000 deaths annually and over 10 billion dollars in costs per year. A significant percentage of HAIs are preventable using evidenced-based strategies. In terms of device-related HAIs it is estimated that 65-70% of catheter-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are preventable. To prevent CLABSIs a bundle which includes hand hygiene prior to insertion and catheter manipulation, use of chlorhexidene alcohol for site preparation and maintenance, use of maximum barrier for catheter insertion, site selection, removing nonessential lines, disinfect catheter hubs before assessing line, and dressing changes are essential elements of basic practices. To prevent CAUTIs a bundle that includes hand hygiene for insertion and catheter or bag manipulation, inserting catheters for appropriate indications, insert using aseptic technique, remove catheters when no longer needed, maintain a close system keeping bag and tubing below the bladder are the key components of basic practices.

Continuous and automated measuring of compliance of hand-hygiene procedures using finite state machines and RFID

Health care associated infections (HAIs) affect up to one in twenty hospitalizations or 1.7 million persons annually in the U.S., exceeding four billion dollars in costs [1] and resulting in approximately 100,000 deaths. In Europe, there are an estimated five million annual cases of general nosocomial infections, infections acquired in a hospital, with 2.7% of cases (135,000 annually) being a contributor to death [2]. Although many factors contribute to the development of HAIs, hand hygiene is considered the single most important measure for limiting nosocomial transmission of pathogens [3]. Hand hygiene compliance is generally considered to be suboptimal and remains a constant challenge for infection control programs. Health regulatory and advisory agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and The Joint Commission, all recommend or demand that hospitals monitor hand hygiene compliance.

Progress Towards a Fire-Safe Cigarette

About 1,000 deaths, 3,000 serious injuries, and several billion dollars in costs of property loss, health care and pain and suffering, result each year in the U.S. from fires started by dropped cigarettes. Efforts to prevent these losses have progressed from admonitory slogans to product-flammability standards to addressing the cigarette itself. Two recent federal studies have: a) concluded that it is technically feasible to produce a cigarette with a reduced likelihood of starting fires, and b) published a broadly validated method by which cigarette brands can be tested for this propensity. The long-term effort of scientists, legislators and public health activists to develop and implement a fire-safe cigarette standard also constitutes a legal liability challenge and a threat to the relative and absolute size of the cigarette market shares held by major U.S. tobacco companies.