Subcommittees Discuss Hospital Acquired Infections
(Washington, DC) – Today, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s Subcommittees on Research and Technology and Oversight held a hearing titled, “Technology for Patient Safety at Veterans Hospitals.”
Though the stated purpose of the hearing was to assess the potential benefits of new technologies, such as ultraviolet light technology, to prevent hospital acquired infections (HAIs) with a focus on the Veterans Administration (VA), the discussion at the hearing was wide ranging and covered all types of healthcare settings, not just VA hospitals. Witnesses agreed that HAIs are problems at all healthcare facilities.
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said in her statement for the record, “As the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, we should be focusing on research and technology that can increase patient safety at all hospitals, public and private…Healthcare-associated infections are largely preventable and we must work to eliminate them as much as possible.”
Democratic Members and witnesses discussed whether incentives such as penalties on hospitals that have poor infection control rates is good policy; the human factor in the spread of HAIs; and the need for adequate funding of research on HAIs.
The importance of low-tech applications, such as proper hand hygiene, and the fact that new technologies can result in unintended negative consequences was also discussed. Dr. Trish M. Perl, MD, Professor of Medicine, Pathology, and Epidemiology at John Hopkins University and Senior Epidemiologist at John Hopkins Medicine, said in her testimony, “Despite the challenges in healthcare, there are huge opportunities to improve patient safety and like all professionals I will tell you that the basic processes of hand hygiene and evidence based practice are paramount. However, there is a role and need for technology to improve our processes and protect patients. This technology can have unexpected consequences and we must be vigilant in our approach.” Dr. Perl gave the example of a device designed to decrease needlestick injuries that would up leading to increased infection rates.
Ms. Johnson said, “It is exciting to think that if we just had the right gadget, then we could eliminate healthcare-associated infections completely. However, technology is not guaranteed to reduce or prevent healthcare-associated infections. In fact, some technologies may actually increase healthcare-associated infections. It is vital that we conduct proper testing and evaluation of potential new technologies before adopting them into a healthcare environment.”
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