http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Certain types of anti-depressants have been linked to an increase in the risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) finds a study in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine. Awareness of this link should improve identification and early treatment of CDI. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-anti-depressant-link-clostridium-difficile-infection.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 06 May 2013 20:00:05 EST news287076059 Patients at Michigan hospitals are less likely to experience a urinary tract infection caused by a catheter than at other hospitals in the country, according to a new study by the University of Michigan. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-michigan-hospitals-national-leaders-common.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:07:26 EST news283450039 Nurses are the largest group of health care providers in the U.S., and health care leaders and experts agree that engaging registered nurses (RNs) in quality improvement (QI) efforts is essential to improving our health care system, patient care and our nation's health. Unfortunately, despite studies demonstrating the value of nurse-led quality improvement efforts, far too few nurses are involved in these efforts, and the number is not growing, according to a study published in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-early-career-registered-nurses-hospital-quality.html Health Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:39:07 EST news278577461 Scientists at the Academy of Finland's Centre of Excellence in Computational Inference Research have developed novel computational methods that have yielded essential knowledge of how hospital-acquired bacteria spread and develop. These new methods, based on randomised algorithms, make it possible to analyse extensive genomic data significantly faster and more efficiently than previously. By applying these results, it is possible to better follow hospital-acquired infections in the future, or even fight them in real time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-methods-reveal-hospital-acquired-bacteria.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 16 Jan 2013 10:14:29 EST news277553501 Dogs can sniff out Clostridium difficile (the infective agent that is responsible for many of the dreaded "hospital acquired infections") in stool samples and even in the air surrounding patients in hospital with a very high degree of accuracy, finds a study in the Christmas issue published on BMJ today. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-dogs-accurately-superbug-infections.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:30:07 EST news274642603 Genome mapping could prove key in preventing superbugs in hospitals, an Australian researcher said Friday, urging its use to prevent countless deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genome-superbug-deaths.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 30 Nov 2012 09:31:14 EST news273490266 Surgical teams at Cedars-Sinai have reduced surgical site infections by more than 60 percent for patients who undergo colorectal procedures by introducing evidence-based protocols that are easy to follow and relatively low in cost. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-surgical-site-infections-colorectal-surgery.html Surgery Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:00:55 EST news273327515 When Adam Estelle graduated from the University of Arizona's materials science and engineering program four years ago, he had no idea he would be involved in saving thousands of lives. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-germ-killing-copper-surfaces-hospitals-thousands.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Sat, 08 Sep 2012 05:22:25 EST news266300519 Hospital-acquired infections are a huge public health burden, and hospital environments play a key role in harboring potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, C. difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-ucla-copper-surfaces-hospital-acquired-infections.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:03:30 EST news261057780 The odds that someone undergoing spinal surgery at a particular hospital will have to be readmitted to the same hospital within 30 days is an important measure of the quality of care patients receive. That's because these "hospital readmission rates" often reflect problems like hospital-acquired infections or complications from surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-spinal-surgeries-successful-statistics-ucsf.html Surgery Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:30:01 EST news253889032 A Queen's University infectious disease expert has collaborated in the development of a disinfection system that may change the way hospital rooms all over the world are cleaned as well as stop bed bug outbreaks in hotels and apartments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-disinfection-technique-revolutionize-hospital-room.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:38:37 EST news242649510 Hospitals are working harder than ever to prevent hospital-acquired infections, but a nationwide survey shows few are aggressively combating the most common one – catheter-associated urinary tract infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-hospitals-aggressively-combat-catheter-associated-urinary.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 08 Dec 2011 04:20:02 EST news242539771 At any given time, one of every 20 hospital patients has a hospital-acquired infection, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-inexpensive-infection-thousands-billions-dollars.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:34:51 EST news234696880 Ongoing research at the Institute of Food Research, which is strategically funded by BBSRC, is exploring the use of virus-produced proteins that destroy bacterial cells to combat potentially dangerous microbial infections. Bacteriophages produce endolysin proteins that specifically target certain bacteria, and IFR has been studying one that destroys Clostridium difficile, a common and dangerous source of hospital-acquired infections. New research is showing that it is possible to 'tune' these endolysin properties to increase their effectiveness and aid their development as a new weapon in the battle against superbugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-tuning-natural-antimicrobials-effectiveness-superbugs.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:12:34 EST news233233927 Generally healthy patients who undergo total hip replacement (THR) can be fast tracked to be discharged in two days compared with the standard three to six days, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City. The study could help cut down on hospital-acquired infections, reduce hospital costs and improve patient satisfaction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-fast-track-total-hip-surgery.html Other Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:08:16 EST news228715678