Pattern of acquisition of hospital-associated pathogens in the ICU of an academic tertiary care hospital.

Background: Among hospitalized patients, a 48-hour window from time of hospitalization defines nosocomial infections and guides empiric antibiotic selection. This time frame may lead to overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Our primary objective was to determine the earliest and median time since hospital admission to acquire antibiotic-resistant pathogens among patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of an academic, tertiary care hospital.

Safety of administering cefazolin versus other antibiotics in penicillin-allergic patients for surgical prophylaxis at a major Canadian teaching hospital.

Background: Cefazolin surgical prophylaxis is associated with better patient outcomes; however, its use in penicillin-allergic patients is controversial. We evaluated the safety of cefazolin as surgical prophylaxis in penicillin-allergic patients, including those with anaphylaxis histories.

Methods: We conducted a pre and postintervention quality improvement evaluation of an institution-wide policy change at a tertiary-care hospital, before (October 2017-January 2018), during (February 2018-September 2018), and after (October 2018-October 2019) transition to routine cefazolin prophylaxis for penicillin-allergic patients, including those with anaphylaxis histories but excluding severe delayed reactions (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome).

Horizontal infection prevention measures and a risk-managed approach to vancomycin-resistant enterococci: An evaluation.

Background: The use of infection control measures in the management of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) is hotly debated. A risk-managed approach to VRE control after the introduction of 2 horizontal infection prevention measures-an environmental cleaning (EC) and an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program-was assessed.

Methods: Routine screening for VRE was discontinued 6 and 4 months after introduction of the EC and AMS programs, respectively.

Emergency department visits for children with acute asthma: discharge instructions, parental plans, and follow-through of care--a prospective study.

Objective: Communication between emergency department (ED) staff and parents of children with asthma may play a role in asthma exacerbation management. We investigated the extent to which parents of children with asthma implement recommendations provided by the ED staff.

Method: We asked questions on asthma triggers, ED care (including education and discharge recommendations), and asthma management strategies used at home shortly after the ED visit and again at 6 months.

Occupational and environmental risk factors for falls among workers in the healthcare sector.

Falls are a leading cause of occupational injury for workers in healthcare, yet the risk factors of falls in this sector are understudied. Falls resulting in workers' compensation for time-loss from work from 2004-2007 for healthcare workers in British Columbia (BC) were extracted from a standardised incident-reporting database. Productive hours were derived from payroll data for the denominator to produce injury rates; relative risks were derived through Poisson regression modelling.