Effect of hospital-wide chlorhexidine patient bathing on healthcare-associated infections.

Background: Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing has been used primarily in critical care to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections and infections due to multidrug-resistant organisms. The objective was to determine the effect of hospital-wide CHG patient bathing on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

Design: Quasi-experimental, staged, dose-escalation study for 19 months followed by a 4-month washout period, in 3 cohorts.

Exploring community health through the Sustainable Livelihoods framework.

Health disparities are a major concern in the United States. Research suggests that inequitable distribution of money, power, and resources shape the circumstances for daily life and create and exacerbate health disparities. In rural communities, inequitable distribution of these structural factors seems to limit employment opportunities.

A participatory method to identify root determinants of health: the heart of the matter.

Background: Co-learning is one of the core principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Often, it is difficult to engage community members beyond those involved in the formal partnership in co-learning processes. However, to understand and address locally relevant root factors of health, it is essential to engage the broader community in participatory dialogues around these factors.

Prospective, controlled, cross-over trial of alcohol-based hand gel in critical care units .

Background: There are limited data from prospective studies to indicate whether improvement in hand hygiene associated with the use of alcohol-based hand hygiene products results in improved patient outcomes.

Design: A 2-year, prospective, controlled, cross-over trial of alcohol-based hand gel.

Setting: The study was conducted in 2 medical-surgical ICUs for adults, each with 12 beds, from August 2001 to September 2003 at a university-associated, tertiary care teaching hospital.