Greetings from the Partnership! Much has happened since the last newsletter. As presented at the Richmond meeting on June 2, 2000, about 15% of hospitals responding to the May survey were doing active surveillance cultures to identify problem pathogens so that spread could be prevented. Quite a few hospitals have since decided to join them. For example, in the area around UVA six hospitals have recently announced their intention to join PPP. We hope to send out another survey soon to get an update on what's happening throughout the two states and provide a bit more information (perhaps going back as far as 1995 where possible).
An effort is underway to establish a beachhead in the "war" to control these pathogens, with planning to get all facilities in a circumscribed area involved in the effort. Because the area surrounding UVA is ahead of most, the beachhead may be in that area. Once this is done, then PPP will focus upon trying to convince facilities at the margin of the beachhead to join. If this goes well, then consideration will be given to establishing a second beachhead. By now all are probably aware of the offer of 2 years of free alcohol hand hygiene product for those who join PPP. Additional offers for discounted products of use to the effort may soon become available for those joining.
There were well-attended discussions about PPP at the Virginia and North Carolina State APIC meetings during October. Many ICPs expressed interest in receiving a more detailed algorithm for culturing patients at high risk for VRE and/or MRSA. Such an algorithm is attached to this newsletter. Also attached is a document describing data supporting the premises on which PPP is based.
NBC Nightly News may soon air a news clip that mentions PPP. After hearing that antibiotic resistance has just kept getting worse for years, they wanted to know if any one doing was anything that seemed to have any chance of solving the problem. A news crew visited UVA after referral by a PPP investigator at UNC. They seemed very interested in UVA's lower rates of spread and infection with such pathogens than reported at most hospitals of comparable size and complexity. They asked how this was achieved. We explained that it involved finding the pathogens and then using contact precautions to prevent spread as advocated in CDC guidelines. They asked what was so novel about that. We explained that although virtually all healthcare facilities have adopted the CDC guidelines for preventing spread of these problem pathogens, most don't look for them, which means that the CDC guidelines aren't really being applied the vast majority of the time. We explained that PPP was an attempt to demonstrate what could be done to the rates of antibiotic resistant infections if all facilities began looking for the bugs and preventing their spread. They seemed interested and said something might air in "early November."
For those for whom we lack an e-mail address, we are mailing this newsletter and an algorithm for performing surveillance cultures. If you would like more detailed information about the PPP, please send your e-mail address to us at the address shown below and we will send you a 17-page document that discusses chapter and verse of how and why this approach works.
Thank you for your continued interest in the Problem Pathogen Partnership. If you have any questions or comments regarding the information in this newsletter, please direct your comments to:
| Barry M. Farr, MD, MSc Hospital Epidemiologist UVA Health System, Box 800473 Charlottesville, VA 22908-0473 |
Phone: (434) 924-2777 Fax: (434) 243-6483 Email: bmf@virginia.edu |
| David Corzilius Administrative Office Manager UVA Health System, Box 800473 Charlottesville, VA 22908-0473 |
Phone: (434) 924-2777 Fax: (434) 243-6483 Email: dbc8c@virginia.edu |