Arlington, Va., May 15, 2020—To improve prevention efforts for one of the most common healthcare-associated infections in the U.S., (APIC) has published an Implementation Guide on Non-Ventilator Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia (NV-HAP). Published as a supplement to AJIC, the new guide reviews current literature, infection prevention strategies, and potential tools and techniques to guide surveillance, detection, and prevention efforts for NV-HAP across the continuum of care.
NV-HAP is a preventable healthcare-associated infection (HAI) with mortality rates as high as 31%, according to published reports. In the US, NV-HAP is one of the top-two most prevalent HAIs. Those at risk for developing NV-HAP include people with compromised immune systems or cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. NV-HAP remains understudied, with most published studies focusing on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Tracking and preventing NV-HAP previously proved challenging because of a lack of consensus guidelines, issues with identifying cases, and standardizing surveillance protocols.
The new APIC NV-HAP Guide serves to highlight the importance of understanding NV-HAP and its impact on patient outcomes and provide an overview of the current evidence on NV-HAP and encourage actions that lead to prevention. The guide is organized into chapters, covering different aspects of NV-HAP, including: “Pediatrics,” “Taking action to improve NV-HAP outcomes,” and “The infection preventionist’s role in identifying NV-HAP.”
“It was a privilege to work to showcase prevention strategies for non-ventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia,” said lead author Linda Greene, RN, BS, MPS, CIC, FAPIC, manager of Infection Prevention at University of Rochester Highland Hospital in Rochester, New York. “As an understudied, and often under-appreciated healthcare-associated infection, NV-HAP can have devastatingly negative impacts on patient outcomes.”
Access the APIC Implementation Guide on Non-Ventilator Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia, for free online, or read more in the May AJIC supplement.
About APIC Implementation Guides:
APIC Implementation Guides assist infection preventionists (IPs) and other relevant health professionals in applying current scientific knowledge and best practices to achieve positive outcomes for patient safety. The series of guides outline practices core to infection prevention efforts as well as tools and resources to apply and provide information that augments existing best-evidence for implementation inside IPs facilities Visit https://apic.org/professional-practice/implementation-guides/ to learn more and to access all the titles in the Implementation Guide series online
About APIC:
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is creating a safer world through the prevention of infection. APIC’s nearly 16,000 members develop and direct infection prevention and control programs that save lives and improve the bottom line for healthcare facilities. APIC advances its mission through patient safety, education, implementation science, competencies and certification, advocacy, and data standardization. Visit us at apic.org.
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