My intent for this week's blog was to continue along the
vein of apathy in our healthcare system when it comes to cleaning and
disinfection, the use and choice of products and instilling compliance
regarding their use to ensure positive patient outcomes. Nothing spells apathy to me then hearing
someone say "I don't care what disinfectant we use, you're the one who
pays for it".... it was then that the narrative for the blog started
forming.
vein of apathy in our healthcare system when it comes to cleaning and
disinfection, the use and choice of products and instilling compliance
regarding their use to ensure positive patient outcomes. Nothing spells apathy to me then hearing
someone say "I don't care what disinfectant we use, you're the one who
pays for it".... it was then that the narrative for the blog started
forming.
And then I came across The Center for Disease Dynamics,Economics and Policy's blog titled "A tale of two cows: Why we have a cowmap and not a healthcare acquired infection map". Now that I have sufficiently recovered my
composure after reading the blog, I knew I had to share. My discussion on apathy as it relates to
cleaning and disinfection will have to wait until next week!
composure after reading the blog, I knew I had to share. My discussion on apathy as it relates to
cleaning and disinfection will have to wait until next week!
Drs. Saman and Kavanagh eloquently weave a satirical tale
using the agriculture industry's ABILITY to account for EVERY cow in EVERY
county in the US comparing it to the healthcare industry's INABILITY to agree
on how to define or how to account for every HAI that occurs within their
facilities. The following is an excerpt
that I hope will entice you to read the full blog:
using the agriculture industry's ABILITY to account for EVERY cow in EVERY
county in the US comparing it to the healthcare industry's INABILITY to agree
on how to define or how to account for every HAI that occurs within their
facilities. The following is an excerpt
that I hope will entice you to read the full blog:
"First there was intense disagreement on what a cow
is. Not everyone used the same
definition. Some farmers defined cows as
black-haired mammals with at least four white spots, while others defined them
as four-legged mammals with three black spots. Confusion certainly
prevailed. Some farmers asked whether
cows in ponds are counted the same as cows eating grass. It was then decided to only count cows
standing in streams. Called Cow Stream
Infestations (CSIs) or cowteremia, this classification provided data that some
praised and all could agree upon. But the
CSIs occurred so infrequently that meaningful comparison between farms could
not be made."
is. Not everyone used the same
definition. Some farmers defined cows as
black-haired mammals with at least four white spots, while others defined them
as four-legged mammals with three black spots. Confusion certainly
prevailed. Some farmers asked whether
cows in ponds are counted the same as cows eating grass. It was then decided to only count cows
standing in streams. Called Cow Stream
Infestations (CSIs) or cowteremia, this classification provided data that some
praised and all could agree upon. But the
CSIs occurred so infrequently that meaningful comparison between farms could
not be made."
Perhaps I found the comparison so vastly amusing because
I grew up on a beef farm and knew how many cows we had, what breed (or
crossbreed) they were, and what calf belonged to what cow going back three
generations...
I grew up on a beef farm and knew how many cows we had, what breed (or
crossbreed) they were, and what calf belonged to what cow going back three
generations...
Drs. Saman and Kavanagh summarized by stating "We
believe our vision of cow counting utopia, applied to HAIs, can contribute to
reducing unnecessary and mostly preventable infections and deaths. This satire is not about public reporting,
for that introduces another plethora of excuses of why it cannot be done. The satire is about having the data for
action, for community and federal response to a large and dangerous epidemic in
our nation."
believe our vision of cow counting utopia, applied to HAIs, can contribute to
reducing unnecessary and mostly preventable infections and deaths. This satire is not about public reporting,
for that introduces another plethora of excuses of why it cannot be done. The satire is about having the data for
action, for community and federal response to a large and dangerous epidemic in
our nation."
If we are to stop the spread of HAIs we need to work
together to agree to black and white definitions. The definition should not be defined in such
a manner as to shed a "better" light on our facilities. The definitions should be set to allow for
clear classification, clear identification and clear means to create an action
plan on how to improve. Are we being
apathetic towards the true concern of HAIs due to our inability to create clear
definitions that everyone agrees to use?
What do you think?
together to agree to black and white definitions. The definition should not be defined in such
a manner as to shed a "better" light on our facilities. The definitions should be set to allow for
clear classification, clear identification and clear means to create an action
plan on how to improve. Are we being
apathetic towards the true concern of HAIs due to our inability to create clear
definitions that everyone agrees to use?
What do you think?
Bugging Off!
Nicole
