Bridget Briznek

Putting Research into Practice

Bridget Briznek, BS, MT, ASCP
Medical Specialist Centers of Indiana
Munster, IN

During her tenure as director of quality management for Select Specialty Hospital of Northwest Indiana, Bridget Brizek worked to overcome infection prevention challenges each day. Select Specialty Hospital is a long-term acute care hospital where the average length of stay is 25 days. Nearly 90 percent of patients admitted to Select Specialty are colonized with some type of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO). To meet this challenge, Bridget implemented evidence-based practices for ventilator-associated pneumonia and central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CVC-BSI) which led to a significant drop in infection rates for both. With the support of the infection control committee, Bridget also introduced “basinless” chlorhexidine baths to further reduce MDRO colonization, resulting in an immediate and sustained decrease in CVC-BSI rates.

Bridget has since joined Medical Specialist Centers of Indiana, where she continues her infection prevention work with one of the largest infectious disease groups in the Midwest.