Chasing Zero: Can Reality Meet the Rhetoric?

Objectives: Leaders from healthcare quality, purchasing, and certifying sectors convened at a national leadership meeting held September 8Y9, 2008 in Washington, DC to address issues of Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs). This paper provides opinion interviews from leaders who spoke at a session entitled BThe Quality Choir: A Call to Action For Hospital Executives[ on whether zero HAIs should be the goal of our Hospitals. Methods: The successes of many hospitals in dramatically reducing their infection rates were examined toward goals of BChasing Zero[ infections. Results: They agreed that the rhetoric of Chasing Zero HAIs must become reality, that anything less than aspiring to eradicate the risk of giving infections to patients for whom we deliver care is unacceptable. Conclusion: Every hospital leader must re-evaluate the strategy, structure, and function of their infection control and prevention services toward the following parameters: & Zero HAIs must be the goal. & Purchasers will no longer wait for hospital losses to act. & Forces of harmonization are an unprecedented force. & New-found hospitals_ harmonized standards can move from Bplaying defense[ to Bplaying offense[ against HAIs. & Leaders must ignite the passion of teams to make rhetoric a reality. & Real stories about real people communicate through real caregiver values. & The power trio of governance, administrative, and medical leaders must turn their potential energy into action. & We have the Bwhat[ we need to aim for, the Bhow[ to get the job done, and it is now about engaging the Bwho[ to seize the opportunity. & Embrace champions to lead the charge.