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CADTH » Events » CADTH Symposium Archives » 2010 CADTH Symposium » Speaker Presentations » Concurrent Session 9 – Panel Discussion

Concurrent Session 9 – Panel Discussion

Health Care Technology and Infection Control: Impact on Practice and Policy

  • Presenters: Julie Polisena and Hussein Noorani, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health; Dr. Kevin Forward, QE II Health Sciences Centre; Patsy Rawding, Nova Scotia Department of Health

Health care technology is an integral component of an infection-control program. Its impact on the reduction of transmission and infection rates, outbreaks, and patient safety remains unclear. This session will address the current practices and decision-making process, clinical evidence, economic issues, and implications for an infection-control program and health policy through a multidisciplinary team.

CADTH Research:  A CADTH researcher will present the available evidence and findings of published health technology assessments (HTAs) by CADTH, related to infectious diseases. They include Reprocessing of Single-use Medical Devices and Polymerase Chain Reaction Screening Test for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Hospitalized Patients. An overview of an upcoming CADTH report, Vancomycin or Metronidazole for Clostridium difficile Infection, will also be provided.

Infection Control (IC): An IC practitioner will discuss how decisions are made and what information is used to incorporate specific health care technologies (e.g., screening tests) in an infection-control program at different levels in the health care system.

Microbiology: A microbiologist will explain the microbiology laboratory’s role in the infection-control program and how health care technology is used to identify specific organisms or follow outbreaks. Some of the technologies and procedures used in a lab, such as specimen handling, screening and diagnostic testing, identification of cultures of hospital personnel and environment, and sterilization of medical devices will be outlined.

Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI): A CPSI representative will present the potential risks with health care technologies for patients and how these risks are measured. The speaker will also highlight how health care technologies can be used to make the Canadian health care system safer for patients and initiatives undertaken by CPSI to improve health care quality.