According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 4 million Americans are admitted to or reside in nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities each year, and nearly one million persons reside in assisted living facilities. The CDC also states that data about infections in long term care facilities (LTCF) are limited, but it has been estimated in medical literature that:
- 1 to 3 million serious infections occur every year in these facilities.
- Infections include urinary tract infections, diarrheal diseases, antibiotic-resistant staph infections and many others.
- Infections are a major cause of hospitalization and death; as many as 380,00/0 people die of the infections in LTCFs every year.
In light of these issues facing nursing home residents, it is important for all staff in long term care facilities to work together to reduce or prevent infections using QAPI principles in the pursuit of providing a safe care environment for all.
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