Infectious Disease Deaths Decline, But Disparity Exists
Fewer Americans are dying from infectious diseases compared to three decades ago, but the outcome gap between rural and urban areas of the country has widened, according to a new study.
Deaths from infectious diseases decreased by 18 percent in the United States. between 1980 and 2014, according to a study published recently in JAMA, dropping from 42 deaths per 100,000 people to 34 deaths per 100,000.
Rural counties aren’t seeing the same improvements in infectious disease mortality as their urban counterparts, researchers found. One of the biggest drivers of that inequality is the steady decline in access to healthcare services in many rural areas.
As a country we are doing much better, but certain counties are still lagging behind and are in fact getting worse.
Healthcare infections are a threat to patient safety and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Healthcare infection prevention has always been a focus of our prevention efforts. To help slow the global threat of antibiotic resistance, we are assisting outpatient healthcare providers and nursing homes develop or strengthen antibiotic stewardship programs.
Our NEWLY LAUNCHED Home Health Infection Prevention Toolkit contains resources and best practices to help reduce Acute Care Hospitalization (ACH) or Emergency Department (ED) visits related to wound, urinary tract and respiratory infections. The Toolkit was developed to meet a gap in infection prevention resources for home health agencies, but can be utilized in all care settings. The Toolkit also contains resources for immunizations, antibiotic stewardship, patient and family education, risk assessment and surveillance, sepsis and others. Access the Toolkit today; share with your colleagues and partners.