Health Implementation Science Center

Two very common healthcare-associated infections, CLABSI and CAUTI, are part of pay-for-performance requirements, and their incidence is hurting your patients and your hospital’s finances and your hospital’s reputation as a provider of high-quality and safe care. Consider participating in the AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CLABSI to improve the infection prevention practices in your hospital. https://lnkd.in/eZhASEiD

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have been increasing dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. How has your hospital adapted your infection prevention practices? The pioneering AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CLABSI can help you learn best practices to ensure your hospital is implementing the latest guidance. Find out more at https://lnkd.in/eZhASEiD

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have been increasing dramatically since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. How has your hospital adapted your infection prevention practices? The pioneering AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CLABSI can help you learn best practices to ensure your hospital is implementing the latest guidance. Find out more at https://lnkd.in/eZhASEiD

Meet Health Implementation Science Center (#HISC) expert, Avantika Saraf Shah.   Avantika is a research scientist in NORC’s Health Sciences department, specializing in health care delivery for older adults using a variety of mixed methods. With over a decade of experience, she has led and managed numerous research and quality improvement projects focused on patient-centered outcomes. Her expertise includes the design and implementation of pragmatic clinical trials across various care settings, multisector stakeholder engagement, mixed methods analysis, and program evaluation.   At NORC, Avantika plays a critical role across several #HISC projects including serving as project manager for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-funded Clinical Decision Support Innovation Collaborative (#CDSiC), and serving on the evaluation team for a pilot award funded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Leading Edge Acceleration (LEAP) Initiative.   Learn more about Avantika’s work below and here: https://lnkd.in/eanbgN8n Learn more about the Health Implementation Science Center here: https://lnkd.in/e_nCNdn9 

Led by the Maryland Department of Health, the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and implementation contractor NORC at the University of Chicago (#HISC), the Maryland Statewide Prevention and Reduction Collaborative (SPARC) provides a venue for acute care hospitals to share best practices and technical expertise to bolster antibiotic stewardship and infection prevention practices. Using a peer-to-peer learning model, SPARC engages and supports Maryland hospitals through regular webinars, Q&A office hours, in-person workshops, and site visits. In 2024, SPARC supported 8 Maryland facilities engaged in a sepsis-focused antibiotic stewardship intervention. SPARC also hosted an in-person workshop with over 120 attendees focused on water management for infection prevention. Check out the SPARC 2024 Year in Review to learn more: https://lnkd.in/eTGiJmU6!

The Maryland Statewide Prevention and Reduction Collaborative (SPARC) is a quality improvement project that engages experts in both public health and academia to address evolving infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship needs in hospitals across the state. Since 2018, SPARC has implemented a peer-to-peer learning model to address topics ranging from Clostridioides difficile infections, COVID-19, and central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). In 2024, SPARC focused on advancing antibiotic stewardship in sepsis and water management for infection control and identified and addressed hospital needs through webinars, office hours, and on-site activities. Read more about SPARC’s 2024 accomplishments here: https://lnkd.in/eTGiJmU6!

AHRQ is recruiting acute care hospital units to participate in the AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CLABSI. You’ll receive assistance on ways to create a safer healthcare environment; reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections; enhance teamwork and communication; and improve patient, family, provider, and staff satisfaction! Find out more at https://lnkd.in/eZhASEiD

Ready to make a difference in creating a safe healthcare environment and improving outcomes for patients, all while earning continuing education units? Join the AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CLABSI to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections in your hospital. More information and the application can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eZhASEiD

Meet Health Implementation Science Center (#HISC) expert, Jessica Fernandez. Dr. Jessica Fernandez serves as a senior research scientist in NORC’s Health Sciences department.   She supports a variety of #HISC projects including leading a mixed-method implementation evaluation of George Washington University’s randomized controlled trial on kidney disease treatment options and co-leading assessment and analyses for AHRQ’s Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Programs for Healthcare Acquired Infection Prevention and Telemedicine for Antibiotic Stewardship.   Learn more about Jessica’s work below and here: https://lnkd.in/esv4tKZz Learn more about the Health Implementation Science Center here: https://lnkd.in/e_nCNdn9

A new report from AHRQ's Clinical Decision Support Innovation Collaborative (#CDSiC) outlines challenges related to standardizing patient preference data for patient-centered clinical decision support (#PCCDS). Through a multistakeholder roundtable discussion and key informant interviews, participants highlighted future directions related to additional research and recommendations for multistakeholder efforts to advance standardizing patient-preference data. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/ed44ebKN    Authors include: Desirae Leaphart Mensah, Rachel Richesson, Kiran Correa, Azam Ahmed, Aziz Boxwala, Priyanka Desai, Prashila Dullabh, MD, FAMIA, IAHSI, and the #CDSiC Standards and Regulatory Frameworks Workgroup