Nursing Homes and Infection Control

 More than 1.5 million Americans reside in nursing homes, where an estimated 2 million infections occur each year. Infection prevention and control continues to be the most frequently cited regulatory deficiency in long-term care facilities nationwide, contributing to preventable illness and death while placing a significant burden on the U.S. healthcare system.  There are four key obstacles to effective infection control in nursing homes: Overuse of antibiotics, inadequate staff/training, lack of resources, and a lack of data/surveillance. In this series of posts, we will explore the nursing home landscape, investigating the origin of and solution to each of those four obstacles. Today we start with an overview of nursing homes.

 More than 1.5 million Americans reside in nursing homes, where an estimated 2 million infections occur each year. Infection prevention and control continues to be the most frequently cited regulatory deficiency in long-term care facilities nationwide, contributing to preventable illness and death while placing a significant burden on the U.S. healthcare system.  There are four key obstacles to effective infection control in nursing homes: Overuse of antibiotics, inadequate staff/training, lack of resources, and a lack of data/surveillance. In this series of posts, we will explore the nursing home landscape, investigating the origin of and solution to each of those four obstacles. Today we start with an overview of nursing homes.