Nursing Home Infection Control Problems Plague 15% of Facilities

About 15% of all nursing homes in the United States receive a citation for poor infection control every year, according to a new study that suggests low staffing levels and harried employees may be to blame.

University of Pittsburgh researchers analyzed data collected by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and found that many nursing homes cited by the agency were short-staffed with employees trying to take short cuts while caring for the elderly and infirm. The nursing home infection study was published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

Researchers looked at data from 96% of all U.S. nursing homes regarding citations for failing to meet infection control retirements; known as F-Tag 441 citations. They found that, on average, from 2000 to 2007 about one out of every seven nursing homes received F-Tag 441 citations. However, that number has been on the rise, with only 12.87% being cited in 2000 and 17.31% cited in 2007.

The investigators said there was a strong correlation between nursing home staffing levels and infection citations. Workers at poorly staffed facilities may often find themselves too pressed for time to follow good infection control measures, such as washing their hands, researchers said.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1.5 million long term care and nursing home infections occur every year. The infections are the leading cause of deaths in nursing homes and are responsible for nearly 400,000 deaths annually. 

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of nursing home and hospital infection lawsuits filed throughout the United States, as experts believe that most of these potentially life-threatening infections in nursing homes and hospitals can be prevented if steps are taken by the facility and staff.