Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), such as nosocomial pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, and surgical site infections, are associated with an unacceptably high degree of morbidity and mortality. In the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 4.5 HAIs for every 100 patient admissions. This is a sobering estimate that highlights the immediate need for improved prevention and surveillance efforts especially in light of a growing population of elderly and immunocompromised patients who are at increased risk for HAIs. Besides the clinical consequences of HAIs, the economic costs are burdensome, often resulting from longer hospital stays.

Many HAIs are preventable, not inevitable. Minimizing the risk of HAIs as well as preventing the spread of nosocomial pathogens should be a main goal in the hospital setting. Recognizing patient risk factors for infection and addressing them in a timely way are important aspects of patient management. Clinicians must understand the etiology of HAIs and be able to recognize patients at risk for drug-resistant infections in order to initiate appropriate therapy as early as possible. Selecting the right antimicrobial is critically important—and also more difficult—as rates of resistance rise and multidrug resistance among nosocomial pathogens becomes more commonplace.

Healthcare professionals responsible for patients at risk of HAIs must work together as a team to achieve positive patient outcomes and reduce the economic impact. Making the Grade: Preventing, Treating, and Managing Respiratory Infections in the Hospital Setting will look closely at the clinical challenges presented by HAIs and some successful strategies that can be employed by a multidisciplinary team.

 


The target audience for this online activity consists of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, infection control practitioners, administrators, and others who are working in the hospital or long-term care setting caring for patients at risk for or who have hospital-acquired infections.

 


This online activity is intended to educate hospital-based healthcare professionals about preventing, treating, and managing HAIs. Strategies for minimizing the risk and incidence of HAIs, as well as choosing an appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy, will be discussed.

 


Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

  • Discuss the epidemiology and impact of hospital-acquired infections in United States hospitals
  • Examine treatment strategies that maximize the probability of appropriate initial antimicrobial therapy for nosocomial pneumonia patients
  • Identify infection control tactics that can reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections

 


Donald E. Craven, MD
Professor of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine
Burlington, Massachusetts

Anthony D. Harris, MD, MPH
Associate Professor
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland

Eli N. Perencevich, MD, MS
Associate Professor
VA Maryland Health Care System
Baltimore, Maryland

 

Physicians
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Medical Education Collaborative and Vemco MedEd. Medical Education Collaborative is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Medical Education Collaborative designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For questions regarding the accreditation of this activity, please contact Medical Education Collaborative at (303) 420-3252 or inquire@meccme.org.

Pharmacists

Center for Independent Healthcare Education (Center) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. The Center has assigned 1.0 contact hour (0.1 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy education credit to this activity.

ACPE Universal Program Number: 473-999-08-011-H01-P

Nurses
This continuing nursing education activity was approved by New Jersey State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Participating nurses can receive up to 1.3 contact hours for participation in this online activity.

Approval number: 6747-8/08-10

Release Date: October 31, 2008
Expiration Date: October 31, 2010
Estimated Time to Complete Activity: 1.0 hour

 


To receive a CME certificate or Statement of Credit, please complete the following steps:

  1. Review the CME/CE information including the target audience, learning objectives, and disclosures.
  2. Review the online activity carefully.
  3. Complete the Post Assessment (must pass the Assessment by at least 75%), Evaluation Form, and Credit Application (PDF available in the Attachments section of the activity).
  4. Fax the Post Assessment, Evaluation Form, and Credit Application to (908) 235-4222 or mail to Vemco MedEd, 245 US Highway 22, Suite 304, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Documentation of credit will be mailed within 6–8 weeks following receipt of your materials.



Medical Education Collaborative, Center for Independent Healthcare Education, and Vemco MedEd require faculty, planners, and others who are in a position to control the content of continuing education activities to disclose to the audience any real or apparent conflict of interest related to the activity. All identified conflicts of interest are reviewed to ensure fair balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all activities. The faculty contributors are further required to disclose discussion of off-label uses.

 


Faculty Contributors
Donald E. Craven, MD has served as a speaker/consultant for Merck, Elan, sanofi pasteur, Wyeth, Cubist, Bayer–Nektar, Ortho-McNeil, Pfizer, and Arpida. He has also served on Johnson & Johnson’s Data Safety Monitoring Board and has received research support from Bard Pharmaceuticals.

Anthony D. Harris, MD, MPH has served as a speaker/consultant for Merck, Cubist, VHA, TheraDoc, and AMG Scientific. He also served as editor for UpToDate.com and has stock options with AMG Scientific.

Eli N. Perencevich, MD, MS has served as a consultant for AMG Scientific. He has also received research support from Cepheid.

The following off-label use is discussed in this online activity: treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia with doripenem.

Planning Committee Members
Employees of Center for Independent Healthcare Education, Medical Education Collaborative, and Vemco MedEd have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

 


This activity is supported by an educational grant from Ortho-McNeil, Inc., administered by Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC.

 


There is no fee to participate in this activity.

 

Copyright © 2008 Vemco MedEd, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Permission for accreditation use granted October 31, 2008 to October 31, 2009 to Center for Independent Healthcare Education (the Center).
Permission for accreditation use granted October 31, 2008 to October 31, 2009 to Medical Education Collaborative (MEC).

 

Web Browser
This online activity is accessible via Internet Explorer 5.0 or above or the most current version of Netscape.

Connection Speed
A high speed connection (cable, DSL, or better) of at least 300 kbps is highly recommended.

Activity and Activity Materials
You must have Adobe Flash Player 6.0 or above installed on your computer. This free plug-in can be downloaded from the Adobe website: http://www.adobe.com.
You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or above installed on your computer to view PDF files. This free plug-in can be downloaded from the Adobe website: http://www.adobe.com.

System Check
Please e-mail any questions or concerns to info@vemcomeded.com.

 

The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not reflect the views of Center for Independent Healthcare Education, Medical Education Collaborative, and Vemco MedEd. This educational activity may discuss off-label and/or investigational uses and dosages for therapeutic products/procedures that have not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Center for Independent Healthcare Education, Medical Education Collaborative, and Vemco MedEd do not recommend the use of any product/procedure outside of the labeled indications. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product/procedure discussed. All readers and continuing education participants should verify all information and data before treating patients or employing any therapies described in this continuing education activity. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product/procedure for approved indication, contraindications, and warnings.

 


Medical Education Collaborative (MEC) protects the privacy of personal and other information regarding participants, educational partners, and joint sponsors. MEC and joint sponsors will not release personally identifiable information to a third party without the individual’s consent, except such information as is required for reporting purposes to the appropriate accrediting agency. MEC and Vemco MedEd maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with federal regulations to guard your nonpublic personal information.

http://vemcomeded.com/privacy.asp