Like hospitals, nursing homes house infection-prone residents that share sources of air, food, and water in a crowded institutional setting.
But nursing homes differ in having a population that is generally more susceptible to infection and fatal outcomes, given the weaker immune systems and nearly universal presence of chronic illness among the elderly.
A 2011 study estimated there are between 1.6 and 3.8 million HAIs in nursing homes per year, resulting in 150,000 hospitalizations, 388,000 deaths, and up to $2 billion in additional healthcare costs.
Not surprisingly, infection prevention and control were identified as a priority under proposed rules for nursing homes by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2015, in which each facility would be required to have an infection prevention and control program and an infection prevention and control officer.
Unfortunately, many nursing homes are sub-par when it comes to protecting residents from healthcare-associated infections (HAI). Fifteen percent of U.S. nursing homes receive deficiency citations yearly, according to a study referred to in the 2015 paper Understanding Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Homes. Low staffing levels were associated with higher rates of infection.
Let's take a look at how respiratory tract pathogens, in particular, are introduced and spread within a facility, and what steps might be taken to minimize the spread of infection.
Respiratory tract infections can come from residents whose immune systems are weakened and cannot contain latent bacteria. Examples include reactivation of tuberculosis from nonresidents, staff, or visitors with an acute respiratory infection, or residents returning from a hospital stay and carrying HAIs.
Once loose in the facility, the pathogens spread by infectious agents such as large respiratory droplets, airborne droplet nuclei, or direct contact.
Solutions:
WebMD says one in four nursing home residents has antibiotic-resistant bacteria. That doesn't mean they're symptomatic, but once they're colonized, they can spread the germ to others, and if their immune system weakens, they can become sick.
Prolonged antibiotic use and frequent interpersonal contact in nursing homes encourages the growth and spread of superbugs within a facility. For that reason, they are more prevalent than in hospitals, according to the WebMD post.
Solutions:
With the explosion of and in-demand need for eldercare being driven by millions of aging baby boomers, building expansion is a fact of life at many nursing homes. Controlling airborne dust that transports pathogens is crucial since something as simple as disturbing a ceiling tile can cause mold spores to enter the air. These microscopic pathogens may be harmless to most of us but can be deadly when inhaled by frail, ill, or functionally impaired residents of nursing homes.
Solutions:
It is every bit as important to control infection in nursing homes as in hospitals — perhaps even more so since nursing homes are both treatment centers and a permanent home for infection-prone residents who eat together and interact socially.
Explore all our infection control solutions to understand how technology, when used as an integral part of carefully managed infection control protocol, can help make long-term care facilities safer for everyone.
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