The financial impact of controlling a respiratory virus outbreak in a teaching hospital: lessons learned from SARS

BACKGROUND: Outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and renewed concerns regarding pandemic influenza have resulted in widespread planning for future respiratory disease outbreaks. Such planning should include accurate cost estimates for any proposed disease control strategies. From the acute care hospital perspective, such estimates typically take into account the cost of supplies and equipment, but rarely consider indirect costs such as lost revenue due to the scaling down of programs. METHODS: Retrospective cost analysis. Costs and savings were calculated from the hospital perspective using financial records. Costs were categorized to determine the major areas of expenditure and savings. RESULTS: We report that controlling a SARS outbreak in a teaching hospital over an 8-week period cost dollar12 million Canadian. Lost revenue and labour accounted for two thirds of the costs incurred while excess spending on services, materials, supplies and renovation of existing space accounted for the remaining one third. CONCLUSIONS: Cost estimates that consider only excess expenditures may considerably underestimate the true cost of infection control strategies.     

一起医院内疥疮暴发及处置

目的某院发生一起医院内疥疮暴发,探讨医院内疥疮暴发的确认与处理方法。方法结合流行病学特征和临床症状提示,对出现不明皮疹患者做皮屑镜检,采取反复刮片法检查,寻找疥螨、虫卵,或在矿物油制备的刮片标本中找螨粪。结果经查实,入院时皮肤有不明皮疹患者为此次疥疮暴发的输入性疥疮感染者,继发感染的1名护工和1名护士为医院获得性疥疮感染者。结论当出现群发性不明皮疹患者时,应考虑疥疮感染的可能,并采取有效的消毒隔离措施,预防感染暴发。     

一起“挪威疥疮”医院内暴发与处置

目的调查某院一起疥疮医院感染暴发的原因和处置方法。方法 2013年5月该院因1例"挪威疥疮"患者误诊,引起医务人员疥疮医院感染暴发,该院医院感染控制科对暴发事件进行流行病学调查,并根据调查结果指导医疗及消毒隔离。结果医务人员及其家属,共计27人感染挪威疥疮。经积极药物治疗,患者病情逐渐好转;患者使用过的物品全部用塑料口袋包装密封1周后进行清洗消毒。经积极治疗加严格清洗消毒后,感染流行趋势得到控制,未再出现新发病例。结论挪威疥疮传染性高,可在局部地区造成流行,需提高医务人员对本病的诊断能力;一旦发生医院感染,应采取快速、有效措施,防止其蔓延、扩散。     

Improving hospital restructuring: lessons learned

Many health care organizations struggle to implement restructuring efforts that produce positive results. This article presents specific ways that restructuring can be improved and what causes such efforts to derail.     

综合医院暴发疥疮感染的流行病调查与分析

目的分析综合医院疥疮感染暴发的特点,为综合医院预防控制疥疮暴发及预防提供警示。方法对综合性医院疥疮感染暴发事件的流行病学调查和分析。结果疥疮感染16例患者,属于医院感染暴发事件,保洁员是主要的传播者。结论保洁人员防护意识差、医务人员疥疮防治知识匮乏,误诊是暴发疥疮的主要原因,医务人员的值班室是造成间接传播的重要场所。     

Best practices in project management: lessons learned in hospital construction

On time and under budget serve no purpose if the end product is not up to user specifications. Case in point is a recent construction project at Mississauga Ontario's Credit Valley Hospital, which was completed within the parameters of time and quality, was 10 million dollars under the budgeted cost and exceeded user expectations. Moreover, the result is a physical representation of the hospital's vision, mission and values.     

Stress, coping and lessons learned from the SARS outbreak

Talking about stress implies that we are talking about two things: an event and a response to that event. The 2003 SARS outbreak was an extraordinary event in the life of Ontario hospitals, especially around Toronto, and in the lives of the healthcare workers.     

An outbreak of xylene intoxication in a hospital

On January 3, 1980 an outbreak of illness occurred in 15 employees of a small community hospital. Symptoms included headache, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness or vertigo; the duration of illness ranged from 2 to 48 hours. The employees who became ill all worked in areas of the hospital served by one central ventilation system. None of the 180 persons working in other parts of the hospital developed symptoms requiring medical care. Less than 1 hour before the outbreak occurred, 1 liter of liquid xylene had been discarded down a sink drain in the pathology laboratory. Simulation experiments confirmed that xylene vapor could have been drawn into the room that contained the fan unit of the ventilation system. This outbreak illustrates an unusual route of exposure to a widely used laboratory chemical.     

An outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul in a children's hospital.

OBJECTIVES: To describe a nosocomial outbreak of Salmonella serotype Saintpaul gastroenteritis and to explore risk factors for infection. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: A 208-bed, university-affiliated children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients hospitalized at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, during February 2001 who had stool specimens obtained for culture at least 24 hours after admission. Case-patients (n = 11) were patients with an indistinguishable strain of Salmonella Saintpaul cultured from their stool. Control-patients (n = 41) were patients hospitalized for problems other than gastroenteritis whose stool cultures were negative for Salmonella. METHODS: Risk factors were evaluated using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Continuous variables were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. A multivariable analysis was performed using logistic regression. The predictor of interest was the receipt of enteral feeding formula mixed by the hospital. RESULTS: Case-patients were more likely than control-patients to have received formula mixed by the hospital (OR, 4.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 17.16). Other variables evaluated were not significant predictors of Salmonella Saintpaul infection. CONCLUSIONS: Formula mixed by the hospital appears to have been the source of this Salmonella outbreak. Strict sanitation measures must be ensured in formula preparation and delivery, and bacterial pathogens should be included in the differential diagnosis for nosocomial gastroenteritis.     

An outbreak of tuberculosis in a children's hospital

A 3-year-old girl was admitted to a children's hospital; subsequently her mother was found to have pulmonary tuberculosis with smear-positive sputum. Of over 400 patients, their families and staff at risk in the hospital, 30 inpatients, three outpatients, two sibling visitors and one staff member became infected. A retrospective cohort study of exposed inpatients identified exposure duration, exposure proximity and primary diagnosis as independent predictors of infection risk. Children with neoplastic disease who were being treated with cytotoxic and immunosuppressive therapy with clotting factors were at a greater risk of developing clinical disease including disseminated infection. Altogether three generations of infected children and adults were diagnosed amongst community and hospital contacts in this extended outbreak. These findings support current recommendations for the follow-up of highly susceptible casual contacts of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis with smear-positive sputa.     

一起医院内季节性流行性感冒暴发调查

目的对一起医院内流行性感冒（流感）暴发进行调查和处置,为医院流感暴发的预防与控制提供参考。方法2014年7月29日-8月7日某院神经外科出现8例流感样感染者,对其进行流行病学调查,采集患者咽拭子标本进行实验室检测。结果8例感染者中神经外科医务人员6例,医务人员家属和患者各1例,感染者症状以低热、咽痛、全身乏力为主。该科室共有患者及医务人员67例,流行性感冒罹患率为11.94％,同期医院其他科室无类似感染者。6例感染医务人员咽拭子检测结果为季节性H3型流感病毒核酸阳性。医院感染管理办公室介入调查,神经外科积极进行隔离与抗病毒治疗,暴发得到有效控制。结论此起医院感染暴发为季节性H3型流感暴发,医院在开启中央空调时应加强病室开窗通风及环境消毒,同时流感流行季节应对医务人员进行流感疫苗接种,加强监测,预防医院内流感暴发。     

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: report of an outbreak in a London teaching hospital

An outbreak with a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus began in The London Hospital in 1982 and continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This particular strain, termed epidemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus, is recognized by its characteristic antibiogram, phage-type and plasmid profile. In this outbreak various means of control have been attempted. Sideroom isolation did not curtail spread of the organism and containment was only achieved with the combination of extended screening, mupirocin for treatment of carriage and the use of an isolation ward.     

The 2007 outbreak of equine influenza in Australia: lessons learned for international trade in horses

In August 2007 Australia experienced its first outbreak of equine influenza. The disease occurred first in a quarantine station for imported horses near Sydney and subsequently escaped into the general horse population. After an extensive campaign the disease was eradicated and Australia is again recognised as free of this disease. Equine influenza was then, and is now, recognised to be the major disease risk associated with live horse imports into Australia and measures designed to mitigate this risk formed the basis of the quarantine protocols then in place. Subsequent investigations into the cause of the outbreak identified failures in compliance with these quarantine requirements as a contributing factor. It is also likely that the immunity of horses vaccinated as part of the import protocol was less than optimal, and that this had a significant role to play in the escape of the disease from quarantine.     

Introduction of a quality improvement program in a children's hospital in Tehran: design, implementation, evaluation and lessons learned.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Reports addressing continuous quality improvement (CQI) methods in developing countries are scant and there are questions about the applicability of quality improvement methods in such settings. The structure and output of a formal quality improvement program implemented in a teaching hospital affiliated with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences is presented. OBJECTIVE METHOD: During a nine-month period, a multi-stage quality improvement program was implemented. It comprised: (i) training workshops; (ii) a steering committee; (iii) weekly consultation and facilitation of improvement projects; and (iv) a day-long demonstration and recognition meeting. Four cycles of workshops were held in which 132 employees were trained in the basics of CQI. RESULTS: Thirty improvement projects were initiated. Twenty-five of the projects were completed. In an evaluation survey more than 70% of respondents assessed a 'positive impact' on organizational culture, work efficiency and quality of services. More than 90% believed that the changes were sustained, and more than 60% reported that they have implemented additional improvement projects. CONCLUSION: Our quality improvement package supported rapid implementation of multiple projects. The underlying 'change structure' comprised the improvement teams, top management and the university's quality improvement office; it integrated project management, support and facilitation functions by the respective participant. Organization-wide change was more limited than anticipated. To institutionalize the program and ensure sustainability, a local structure for change should be organized, management coaching should be sustained, local facilitators should be developed, incentives should be established and physician involvement should be emphasized.