Health Affairs: Infection interventions could save lives, dollars
Hospital acquired infections are expensive, deadly and, most importantly, preventable, noted the authors of a recent study published in the September issue of Health Affairs, who found that the implementation of cost-effective prevention measures may not only save thousands of lives, but also billions of dollars.
Citing an estimated 99,000 deaths annually in the U.S. and costing up to $33 billion in preventable healthcare costs, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported that adopting an inexpensive set of infection control measures could potentially dramatically reduce those numbers.
Researchers conducted a study in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at North Carolina Children’s Hospital, testing three interventions aimed at reducing hospital acquired infections. They included strict enforcement of standard hand hygiene practices, implementing a bundle of measures aimed at preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia—such as elevating a patient’s head while receiving breathing assistance—and ensuring compliance with guidelines for the use of central line catheters.
“These two initiatives, targeting ventilator associated pneumonias and central line associated bloodstream infections, involved simple steps that lead to dramatic reductions in not only the targeted infections, but also mortality and costs,” lead author Bradford D. Harris, MD, associate professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics in the UNC School of Medicine, said in a statement.
Results showed that patients admitted after the interventions were implemented on average left the hospital two days earlier, their hospital stays cost $12,000 less and patient deaths were reduced by 2 percent. Of the cost reductions, nearly $2,000 was in the form of reduced laboratory and pharmaceutical costs, and more than $10,000 was saved by a reduced length of stay.
Researchers noted that the measures were inexpensive. Oral care kits cost roughly $21 per day and antiseptic patches and hand sanitizers cost about 60 cents per day, for example.
Citing an estimated 99,000 deaths annually in the U.S. and costing up to $33 billion in preventable healthcare costs, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reported that adopting an inexpensive set of infection control measures could potentially dramatically reduce those numbers.
Researchers conducted a study in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at North Carolina Children’s Hospital, testing three interventions aimed at reducing hospital acquired infections. They included strict enforcement of standard hand hygiene practices, implementing a bundle of measures aimed at preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia—such as elevating a patient’s head while receiving breathing assistance—and ensuring compliance with guidelines for the use of central line catheters.
“These two initiatives, targeting ventilator associated pneumonias and central line associated bloodstream infections, involved simple steps that lead to dramatic reductions in not only the targeted infections, but also mortality and costs,” lead author Bradford D. Harris, MD, associate professor of anesthesiology and pediatrics in the UNC School of Medicine, said in a statement.
Results showed that patients admitted after the interventions were implemented on average left the hospital two days earlier, their hospital stays cost $12,000 less and patient deaths were reduced by 2 percent. Of the cost reductions, nearly $2,000 was in the form of reduced laboratory and pharmaceutical costs, and more than $10,000 was saved by a reduced length of stay.
Researchers noted that the measures were inexpensive. Oral care kits cost roughly $21 per day and antiseptic patches and hand sanitizers cost about 60 cents per day, for example.