Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jun;105(2):258-264.
doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.02.007. Epub 2020 Feb 14.

Support of nursing homes in infection management varies by US State Departments of Health

R Dorritie  1 , D D Quigley  2 , M Agarwal  1 , A Tark  1 , A Dick  3 , P W Stone  1
Affiliations

Support of nursing homes in infection management varies by US State Departments of Health

R Dorritie et al. J Hosp Infect. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

Background: In many countries, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are problematic in long-term aged care living facilities. In the United States (US), HAIs occur frequently in nursing homes (NHs). Identifying effective practices for state Departments of Health (DOHs) to help NHs improve infection prevention and control and reduce HAIs is necessary.

Aim: As a first step, the objective was to systematically examine and catalogue the variations in state intentions and activities related to HAI prevention in NHs.

Methods: An environmental scan of state DOH websites, HAI plans, and HAI state infographics was conducted. Data were collected on 16 items across three domains: (1) intentions to reduce HAIs in NHs, (2) actions to reduce HAIs in NHs, and (3) website usability.

Findings: State infection control support for NHs varied widely. Most states (92%) mentioned NHs in their HAI plans and 76% included NHs in their infographic. Half has an HAI prevention advisory council, while one-third had a state HAI prevention collaborative. Only 57% of HAI plans that mentioned NHs included training materials on HAI reduction. The most common training available was on antibiotic stewardship.

Conclusion: Many US states have room for improvement in the support they provide NHs regarding infection prevention and control. Specific areas of improvement include: (1) increased provision of training materials on HAI reduction, (2) focusing training materials on common HAIs, and (3) NH engagement in collaboratives aimed at HAI reduction. More research is needed linking DOH activities to resident outcomes.

Keywords: Hospital-acquired infections; Infection control; Infection prevention; Nursing homes; State collaborative.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations of interest: None

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
HAI Reduction Intentions
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
HAI Reduction Actions
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Quantities of Nursing Home Specific Training Materials
Figure 4:
Figure 4:. Training Topics and Modes (n =141)
ABS = Antibiotic Stewardship, C diff = Clostridium difficile, MDRO = Multi Drug Resistant Organism, Environmental = Environmental Cleaning, UTI = Urinary Tract Infection
Figure 5:
Figure 5:
Website Usability
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Furmenti MF, Rossello P, Bianco S, et al. Healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in long-term care facilities (HALT3): an overview of the Italian situation. J Hosp Infect 2019; 102: 425–430. 2019/February/23 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2019.02.007. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Burns K, Roche F and Donlon S. Healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in long-term care facilities: the Irish experience with the HALT surveys. J Hosp Infect 2015; 89: 276–280. 2015/February/02 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2014.12.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. United States Census Bureau. 2012 National Population Projections: Summary Tables. Table 2. Projections of the Population by Selected Age Groups and Sex for the United States: 2015 to 2060, https://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/national/2012/summary... (2012. accessed December 30 2015).
    1. Harris-Kojetin L, Sengupta M, Park-Lee E, et al. Long-Term Care Services in the United States: 2013 Overview. Vital Health Stat 3 2013: 1–107. 2013/December/01. - PubMed
    1. Bull J. Palliative Care in the Nursing Home Setting. 2016. Alexandria, VA: National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.