Infection Protection

Our commitment

Nationally recognized for patient safety, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN) is taking the lead in reducing a very serious problem affecting all hospitals-- infections that occur while you're hospitalized (or hospital-acquired infections). In particular, LVHHN is focusing on the most common types of hospital-acquired infections--surgical, bloodstream, pneumonia and urinary tract--and taking steps to prevent them.

To keep you as safe as possible, we offer one of the region's most experienced infection control teams, skilled at taking all possible measures to prevent the spread of infections. Our infection control team includes:

• Six physicians specially educated in infectious diseases
• Six full-time certified infection control practitioners
• One full-time certified infection control director
• One full-time secretary

Our caregivers screen for and provide influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations to all eligible inpatients. We also partner with the Allentown and Bethlehem health bureaus to distribute thousands of influenza vaccines annually to people throughout our community.

To ensure we're doing all we can to prevent infections, we compare our infection rates against those of other hospitals nationwide by using benchmarks established through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System (NNIS). This year, the NNIS is evolving into the new National Heathcare Safety Network, and we will be reporting our rates to this new network as soon as it's available.

We also report our performance in two key surgical infection prevention indicators on hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, the Web site created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance. We've been tracking and showing improvement in those areas for more than three years as part of the Surgical Infection Prevention Project supported by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and CMS. That project aims to reduce the number of post-operative surgical site infections.

Additional measures to compare hospital infection rates are still being developed by organizations like the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). We support the public reporting of infection data and are compliant with all reporting requirements set forth by PHC4.

We are one of only six Pennsylvania hospitals selected to receive a grant from PHC4 and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation to take a closer look at hospital-acquired infections. The funds will create projects focused on reducing the total number of infections statewide. Our project will focus on reducing the number of foley catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). A silver-coated foley catheter will be trialed in an effort to decrease the number of CAUTIs.

We are also proud to be one of more than 2,500 hospitals nationwide participating in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) 100k Lives Campaign. Building on the successful work of health care providers nationwide, we're introducing or have introduced these and other proven best practices to extend or save as many as 100,000 lives nationally:

• Preventing surgical site infections by giving the proper antibiotic at the proper time
• Utilization of the ventilator bundle--a group of interventions used to reduce the number of ventilator-associated pneumonia cases
• Using interventions based on the latest medical evidence to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infections

How you play a role

Handwashing is the single most important defense against the spread of germs and infections. If you're receiving care in the hospital, we encourage you to partner with the caregivers who have direct contact with you. Ask them whether they have washed or sanitized their hands. At Lehigh Valley Hospital, you'll find waterless hand sanitizer dispensers at the entrance of every patient room for use by you, your family members and your caregivers.

Why handwashing is important

• It keeps you from transferring germs to other areas of your body and to other patients and family members.
• It's a professional responsibility of all health care workers.

When you should wash your hands

• If you're visiting someone in the hospital, before and after each visit
• After every trip to the bathroom
• After sneezing or blowing your nose
• Before eating, drinking, handling or serving food

How to be sure your hands are clean

• Use plenty of soap to scrub your hands, back of hands, palms (inside hands) between fingers and under fingernails for at least 10 seconds.
• Rinse hands completely and dry with a clean towel.
• Use waterless hand sanitizers if your hands are not visibly soiled.
• When teaching your children, encourage them to hum a song or recite the alphabet while washing their hands to remind them how long to wash.

At LVHHN, your health is in our hands. You should expect those hands to be clean.

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