University of Virginia Library

University Plans Aid
To State Hospitals

Custom-tailored recommendations
for the prevention and control
of hospital-based infections are
being provided for Virginia hospitals
by the University.

The program, initiated by Dr.
Calvin M. Kunin, chairman of the
department of preventive medicine,
is designed to deal with individual
problems of hospital infections,
isolation techniques and the training
of personnel to improve patient
care in these areas. Dr. Kunin is
noted for his studies of infectious
diseases, particularly the incidence
of urinary tract infections in
different population groups.

Hospitals with 100 or more beds
have been invited to participate in
the program, which is financed by
the U.S. Public health Service
kidney disease section. The 17 now
participating range from the new
Roanoke Valley Community Hospital
to Northampton-Accomack
Hospital on Virginia's Eastern
Shoe.

Diane Barbanel, nurse epidemiologist
assigned by the University
to the project, meets with each
hospital's infection committee to
complete a 10-page questionnaire
dealing with techniques used to
prevent infections. Questions cover
nursing procedures such as the use
of urinary drainage systems, infections
associated with such systems,
the operation of bacteriology labs
and the operation of the infection
committees themselves.

Miss Barbanel then visits each of
the hospitals to observe patients
and gather her own statistics on the
prevalence of infections. Dr.
Zachary Finkelberg, a two-year
Public Health Service fellow, also
assists with the program.

After the project staff completes
its visits, a staff nurse from each
participating hospital comes to
Charlottesville for a one-week
course in hospital isolation and
infection control. Mary Wheeler,
nurse epidemiologist for the University
Hospital, teaches this course.