Creating a Virtuous Cycle in 7 Steps

By Patrik Hutzel

Today I want to further highlight how breaking out of the intensive care environment can create a virtuous cycle for all stakeholders. Long-term ventilation with Tracheostomy in ICU is usually a vicious cycle, with ventilator dependency, depression and hospital acquired infection at its core.

We can break out of this vicious cycle and create a virtuous cycle. Home intensive care nursing is an evolving and dynamic alternative for long-term mechanically ventilated adults & children with Tracheostomy and their families and it has become a massive success in other countries, in Europe in particular and I was very fortunate to gain insight and 'hands-on' experience in the Industry in Germany for a number of years.

In order to go the extra mile and create something of value for long-term mechanically ventilated adults & children with tracheostomy and their families, as well as for hospitals and intensive care units, INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME is extending services outside of the traditional intensive care approach, by looking at ways of how innovative and effective alternatives can be created in the context of:

1) Creating a virtuous cycle by dramatically improving quality of life outside of an icu environment - just by taking a long-term ventilated adult or a child with tracheostomy outside of the ICU environment back home, gives them and their family such a boost, with the natural consequence of feeling so much better.

2) Establishing quality of life that is focused around a holistic approach towards the ventilated adult or child in their own home, outside of ICU.

3) Establishing quality of life that is focused not only on the quality of life of the ventilated adult or child, but is also focused on the quality of life of the family- we all know how much time families spend in icu to be with their loved ones and essentially putting their life on hold, whilst feeling very stressed and outside of their comfort zone.

4) Creating and freeing up expensive resources for hospitals and ICU's in particular that can be used for more acute and sick patients that have a much higher need for critical care, in comparison to adults or children who are long-term ventilated with tracheostomy and have little or no quality of life in ICU.

5) Creating win-win situations for long-term ventilated adults & children with tracheostomy, their families, as well as for intensive care units and hospitals, in view of intensive care beds being one of the most expensive resources used in a hospital

6) Creating a quality solution outside of the traditional hospital approach, where intensive care trained nurses can contribute and use their specialist skills to make a massive difference to the quality of life of ventilated adults & children with tracheostomy and their families, whilst maintaining high quality nursing standards in a home care environment that enable the customer's quality of life to be the main focus.

7) Breaking out of the vicious cycle of long- term ventilation in ICU, where long term-ventilation triggers depression and depression causes long- term ventilation. On top of that - more often than not-long-term ventilated adults & children with tracheostomy in intensive care catch a hospital acquired infection that usually prolongs their already expensive stay in intensive care, adding on another loop to the vicious cycle and putting additional costs on to their already long list of expenses.

The list could probably go on and please leave your comments on our blog, as I have put this month's newsletter on our blog, as well as in the newsletter section.

Have a great weekend!

visit http://www.intensivecareathome.com.au for more information.

The Issues the Common Cold Creates in Hospitals

By Aly Merritt

Cold and flu season, which typically ranges from October to May in the U.S., presents a challenging time for hospitals. Already full of sick and recovering patients, hospitals are the perfect breeding ground for viral rhinitis, aka "the common cold." Once the illness is contracted, it is highly contagious and easily transmitted through medical linens, commonly used areas of the hospital, and hospital equipment. In patients with compromised immune systems, the rhinovirus can cause serious secondary infections that may linger for weeks or months. It can also aggravate existing chronic health conditions, such as asthma, allergies, diabetes and heart disease.

Rhinovirus and How it Spreads

There are more than 200 different types of viruses that cause the common cold. Rhinoviruses are the most prevalent sources, causing up to 40 percent of colds. Coronaviruses are responsible for roughly 20 percent, and respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV) cause up to 10 percent of colds. All of these viruses cause infection of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the nose, throat and sinuses.

Viral rhinitis is frequently acquired through direct contact with infected droplets projected from the nose or mouth through sneezing and coughing. Hand-to-hand contact is another easy infection route, where virus particles are passed from one person's hand to another. From there, the virus can be transported through rubbing your eyes or scratching your nose.

The cold virus is largely just a painful nuisance for a healthy individual, with many people catching a few colds each year. They typically include nasal congestion, sore throat, sneezing and coughing. These symptoms can last for up to two weeks. While colds are unpleasant, they are typically treatable at home with some rest, increased fluids and over-the-counter medication for symptoms. But for a person with an already compromised immune system, a common cold can have disastrous health complications.

What Colds Can Do

Common colds, though basically harmless for people in good health, can be dangerous foundations for several serious infections in patients with suppressed immune systems. If someone is recovering from chemotherapy or major surgery, a cold can last much longer than normal. Aside from displaying more severe symptoms and lingering longer than usual, the rhinovirus in an already immuno-deficient person can cause acute ear infections, sinusitis and other secondary infections, such as bronchitis, strep throat and pneumonia.

For people with heart disease, cold complications can be especially dangerous. Pneumonia and other lung infections make the weakened heart work even harder. In these situations, it is difficult to take in oxygen efficiently. This creates another demand on the heart to pump oxygenated blood throughout the body.

How to Reduce Infection

Good hygiene, proper hand washing and frequent disinfecting of communal surfaces and equipment are helpful in the prevention of spreading colds. But another common culprit for spreading infection among hospital staff - as well as patients - is contaminated hospital linens. Washing bedding and towels in hot water with regular detergent is not enough to kill off many types of viruses. One of best ways to prevent common cold outbreaks is using a professional hospital laundry service. They are equipped to effectively sanitize and launder infected linens and adhere to strict guidelines in doing so. Using only EPA-registered laundry disinfectant and washing in water temperatures above 160°F are some of the precautions they take to prevent the spread of disease. These efforts, when coupled with thorough disinfecting of equipment and highly trafficked surfaces, greatly reduce germs that are prevalent in hospitals.

Aly Merritt is the Marketing Manager at Angelica Corporation, a leader in the medical linen service industry. Originally founded in 1878, Angelica Corporation now products healthcare linen solutions and hospital laundry services nationwide. Learn more about hospital laundry services athttp://www.angelica.com.