(Photo credit: Salim Fadhley/Flickr)

A new study has found that the universal use of disposable gowns and gloves by healthcare workers can reduce patient acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA) by approximately 40 per cent.

The study, co-led by the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Yale New Haven Health System Center for Healthcare Solutions appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. It found the drop occurred when healthcare workers used disposable gowns and gloves upon entering all patient rooms on an intensive care unit (ICU), instead of only in rooms on standard isolation protocol.

While the study showed that the use of gowns and gloves did not show significant results in preventing patients from acquiring vancomycin-resistanst Enterococcus (VRE), the use also increased handwashing frequency and showed no adverse results in patients.

Though healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are on the decline in the United States, they still are one of the most common complications of hospital care. Studies have shown that healthcare workers acquired bacteria on their hands and clothing through patient contact, and can transmit the bacteria to other patients.

"Infection control studies such as this are important to advance the science and lead to important discoveries that can decrease health care-associated infections," said Daniel J. Morgan, the study's senior author and assistant professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "In conjunction with the evolution of hospital cleaning practices, increased handwashing frequency and other measures, patients in hospitals can be safer than they've ever been from HAIs."

(Photo credit: Fimb/Flickr)

The Healthy Workplace Challenge is launching its second annual 30-day Global Handwashing Challenge for the month of November.

The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness of critical hygiene-related health challenges facing communities around the world. Participants can complete short hygiene- and sanitation-themed online puzzles and sign a pledge to be a "Handwashing Champion." Each participant will choose one of three UNICEF programs to benefit from a $50,000 donation from the Kimberly Clark Foundation.

The three UNICEF initatives are:

• Lifesaving water kits for emergencies: This program will provide water kits to children and families that need to access clean water when they have been affected by emergencies such as floods or earthquakes.
• Clean and safe water for communities in need: UNICEF installs deep-well water pumps to give access to clean and safe water for washing and bathing.
• Water, sanitation and hygiene programs in Eastern and Southern Africa: Through hygiene promotion, including handwashing with soap, UNICEF maximizes health benefits, including the survival, growth and development of young children.

Kimberly-Clark's health and wellness program, along with the Kleenex brand family, will be supporting the 30-day challenge. The Healthy Workplace Project is a global initiative by Kimberly-Clark Professional, that helps workers understand and reduce the spread of cold and flu germs throughout their offices.

Saskatchewan's Minister of Health Dustin Duncan recently released feedback on the conditions in long-term care facilities in the province.

The findings were based on feedback from each health regions CEO and was the result of facility tours by senior leadership in each respective health region.

"The results of this review vary greatly across the province, but overall it shows that we need to do better for seniors in need of our care, especially for the vulnerable seniors in our long-term care facilities," said Duncan.

The facility tours identified both positives and negatives within the province's long-term care facilities. The health region CEOs identified the Resident and Family Councils, the dedication of staff, the beneficial impact of resident-centred recreation programs and the positive role played by volunteers as having a positive impact on the facilities.

Challenges faced by the facilities includes food (quality, variety and meal times), care issues (complexity, behavior management and delays in provision of care), safety (resident needs and staff training), resident mix (placing young with older, frail residents), and aging infrastructure.

Duncan said the Saskatchewan government is designating $10-million to address urgent issues identified by these reports, as a way to transform the province's long-term care system. The Urgent Issues Action Fund will address priority issues identified by health regions including purchasing required equipment, more baths, improved nutrition and training to deal with residents with dementia.

Premier of Manitoba, Greg Selinger, recently announced the opening of a new emergency medical services (EMS) station in Flin Flon.

The full-service station will improve response times and better meet the needs of paramedic staff in the northern city.

The $1.2-million facility features a geothermal heating, ventilation and cooling system. It has received Manitoba Hydro's Power Smart designation for commitment to energy-efficient building design and environmental leadership.

"This new facility has everything we need for a state-of-the-art EMS station in one convenient, central location," said Helga Bryant, CEO, Northern Health Region. "In addition to featuring efficient, ventilated space for all the ambulances, it includes training and storage space, office space and overall represents a significant improvement from the previous garage-only station in Flin Flon."

The province is planning further investment in healthcare facilities in the region. Planning on the expansion and redevelopment of Flin Flon General Hospital's emergency room and admitting area is currently underway.

(Photo credit: Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan)

PIC Investment Group and the Yuel family have given $2.25 million to the Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan. This will fund the creation of a patient play area, named for the donors, in the Children's Hospital of Saskatchewan.

"This will be an area where our youngest Saskatchewan patients can enjoy some sunshine and relax in a special environment created just for them. A place where the inside of a hospital becomes an outdoor experience, away from treatments and allowing them to be kids again," said Brynn Boback-Lane, president and CEO of the Children's Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan.

Located adjacent to Saskatoon's Royal University hospital, the new maternity and children's hospital will boast 152 inpatient rooms and separate emergency departments for adults and children. The hospital's design received final approval from the Ministry of Health in April. Hundreds of children and teenagers across the province were consulted about the design, which was inspired by Saskatchewan's natural beauty.

The hospital's interior will feature cheerful nature motifs and plenty of natural light. Each inpatient room will feature a parent sleep space, and there will be plenty of private family spaces.

The hospital was designed with efficiency in mind, aiming to reduce wait times and the stops patients make. For instance, mothers will be able to recover with their baby in the same room they gave birth in, rather than being wheeled down a hallway.

Construction of the hospital is scheduled to begin in early 2014 and finish in late 2016.

"We are very appreciative of the Yuel Family and PIC Investment Group's support in ensuring this outdoor play space is all that it should be for Saskatchewan children and their families," said Jim Rhode, chair of Saskatoon Regional Health Authority.