Encouraging frontline hospital staff to identify and implement innovative infection control practices on their own can help prevent the spread of drug-resistant infectious diseases, a new study shows.

The three hospitals that participated in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study reportedly experienced a significant drop — ranging from 26 percent to 62 percent — in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections by employing a behavioral approach called positive deviance. In addition to adhering to well-established infection prevention goals, such as screening patients and practicing good hand hygiene, the participating facilities engaged all staff members to discover the best ways of achieving those goals and breaking down barriers to compliance. "This is the first time the ‘what’ of proven infection prevention practices has been combined with the ‘how’ of positive deviance," explains Curt Lindberg, DMan, chief learning and science officer for the Plexus Institite, which co-sponsored the study with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

An example of positive deviance in action comes from the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa., which participated in the study. A patient escort at the facility devised a technique for disposing of soiled gowns and gloves — by folding up the gown and stuffing it into a glove — that reduced the threat posed by trashcans overfilled with hazardous materials."

—Irene Tsikitas