Barbara Mauger

Implementing quality improvement strategies to reduce healthcare-associated infections: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Comprehensive incidence estimates indicate that 1.7 million healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and 99,000 HAI-associated deaths occur in US hospitals. Preventing HAIs could save

Treatments for Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

25.0 to

Appendix Table C24, Patient characteristics: oral selective antihistamine versus leukotriene receptor antagonist

31.5 billion. Identifying effective quality improvement (QI) strategies for promoting adherence to evidence-based preventive interventions could reduce infections. METHODS We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE from 2006-2012 for English-language articles with ≥ 100 patients that described an implementation strategy to increase adherence with evidence-based preventive interventions and that met study design criteria. One reviewer abstracted and appraised study quality, with verification by a second. QI strategies included audit and feedback; financial incentives, regulation, and policy; organizational change; patient education; provider education; and provider reminder systems. RESULTS We evaluated data on HAIs from 30 articles reporting adherence and infection rates that accounted for confounding or secular trends. Many of the measures improved significantly, especially adherence. Results varied by QI strategy(s). CONCLUSIONS Moderate strength of evidence supports improvement in adherence and infection rates when audit and feedback plus provider reminder systems or audit and feedback alone is added to organizational change and provider education. Strength of evidence is low when provider reminder systems alone are added to organizational change and provider education. There were no studies on HAIs in nonhospital settings that met the selection criteria.