Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

6 Preventing HAIs process by which common preventive vaccines, such as the tetanus and diph- theria vaccines, function. "We essentially are taking this platform and adapting it to C. diff," says Sanjay Gurunathan, MD, associate vice president and head of global clinical devel- opment at Sanofi Pasteur. "It's the simplicity of the approach and the track record that speak to the approach and the design." Sanofi Pasteur's vaccine passed its phase II trial, meeting its objectives, and patient reactions were generally mild and temporary. Additionally, the phase II trial indicated all vaccine doses were deemed safe and acceptable. Now, the phase III clinical trial for the vaccine, called Cdiffense, is examining the prevention efficacy of a high-dose plus adjuvant vaccine formulation. Not only is Cdiffense the only phase III clinical trial focused on infection preven- tion, but the scope of the trial makes the study stand out, Dr. Gurunathan says. "The unique part of the study is that there potentially will be 15,000 volun- teers in 17 countries spread over five continents at approximately 200 re- search sites around the entire globe," he says. "The global impact of the results [is] going to be quite significant." Additionally, due to its status as the sole vaccine focused on prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the vaccine fast track designa- tion, an expedited review and development process reserved for drug pro- grams that have the potential to fulfill an unmet medical need. And the need for infection prevention is looming and ever-growing. When looking at the estimated $9.8 billion in healthcare costs spent on treating healthcare-associated infections, focusing on prevention and avoiding those exorbitant costs is a welcome idea. "What we are trying to do is prevent people from getting an infection through the vaccine approach. There's a lot to be said about prevention being better than cure," Dr. Gurunathan says. "We hope that by preventing infection we can not only alleviate the complications of the disease for the person suffering from the disease but also have a significant economic impact on the healthcare system." n Inside the One C. Diff Vaccine Focusing on Prevention, Not Treatment (continued from cover) N ewly released expert guidance on hand hygiene in healthcare facilities, published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiol- ogy, emphasizes best practices for implementing and optimiz- ing hand hygiene programs to reduce the spread of healthcare-associated infections. The guidance is part of a collaborative effort by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Hospital Association, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and The Joint Commission. "For more than 150 years, we have known the link between hand hygiene im- provement and reducing HAIs," said Janet Haas, PhD, RN, co-lead author of the guidelines. "Yet adherence to recommended practices remains low. While there can be barriers to optimal hand hygiene in healthcare settings, poor hand hygiene undermines care and threatens patient safety." Here are 10 basic practices for hand hygiene recommended for all acute-care hospitals, gleaned from the new guidance: 1. Select appropriate products, such as alcohol-based hand rubs with at least 62 percent alcohol for routine hand hygiene and an ABHR specifically for- mulated for surgical use when used for surgical antisepsis. 2. Strategically place hand hygiene equipment and products to provide conve- nient access and make sure they are refilled as often as required. Counters in product dispensers can help show which dispensers are or are not being used. 3. Involve healthcare workers when choosing products, as some products can cause skin irritation and therefore impact adherence to hand hygiene protocols. 4. Perform hand hygiene for the following events: • Before and after direct patient contact • Before handing medication in anticipation of patient care • Before inserting an invasive device • Before and after handing an invasive device • Before moving from a contaminated body site to a clean body site • After removing gloves • After contact with blood or bodily fluids • After contact with the patient environment 5. Clean hands with soap when they are visibly dirty. 6. Assess barriers to hand hygiene with frontline workers to find relevant in- terventions. 7. Implement a bundle to improve adherence that directly address an organi- zation's biggest barriers. 8. Educate healthcare workers on proper hand hygiene and ensure compe- tency. 9. Measure adherence through direct observation, product measurement or automated monitoring. 10. Provide feedback on performance. n 10 Expert-Recommended Hand Hygiene Practices By Heather Punke Becker's ASC 21st Annual Meeting The Business and Operations of ASCs October 23-25, 2014 • Chicago Keynotes: Terry Bradshaw, Co-Host and Analyst, FOX NFL Sunday and NFL Legend; Bill Taylor, Founding Editor, Fast Company and Best-Selling Author; Lolo Jones, 2-Time Olympic Hurdler and World Champion, 2014 Olympic Bobsledder For more information, call (800) 417-2035 30 Great Surgeons, 36 Leading Administrators and 80 Surgery Center Speakers in Total

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