In this issue of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter, we recap what turned out to be quite a month for infection prevention and control news. Highlights include announced revisions to the AORN surgical attire guideline, challenging Joint Commission infection control standards, FDA warning about endoscope connectors, flu vaccine efficacy and new technology.

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AORN to Revise Surgical Attire Guideline, Raising Questions — In this ICCS special report, we share the news of AORN announcing plans to revise its "Guideline for Surgical Attire" following a meeting with the American College of Surgeons and several other organizations and the questions this news raises for healthcare facilities, particularly ambulatory surgery centers.
 
Leapfrog: Poorer-Performing Hospitals Struggle with Infection Control — The Leapfrog Group recently announced its spring "2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades." One of the key takeaways: Infection control is a significant challenge for hospitals receiving lower scores.
 
Infection Control Standard is 2017's "Most Challenging" for Joint Commission-Accredited Ambulatory Healthcare Organizations — An infection control standard was the most challenging for Joint Commission-accredited ambulatory healthcare organizations in 2017.
 
An infection control standard is also the most challenging for office-based surgery practices (read report).
 
FDA Warns Against Use of 24-Hour Multi-Patient Use Endoscope Connectors — The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert to healthcare providers and facilities advising them against using "24-hour multi-patient use endoscope connectors" because of the risk of cross-contamination.
 
Study: Nearly Three-Quarters of Commonly Used Medical Scopes Tainted by Bacteria — A new study shows that 71% of reusable medical scopes deemed ready for use on patients tested positive for bacteria at three major U.S. hospitals.
 
'Infection Control Breach' at Colorado Hospital May Have Put Patients at Risk of HIV, Surgical Infection — An "infection control breach" at a Denver hospital may have put certain patients at risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The process for cleaning surgical instruments following orthopedic and spine surgeries "was found to be inadequate."
 
Home Healthcare Providers' Infection Prevention Efforts Hampered by Dearth of Data, Tools — Unlike the numerous infection prevention resources available to hospitals and nursing homes, there isn't much published guidance for home health providers on how to best protect patients from infections.
 
Study: 20% Efficacy Predicted for 2018 Flu Vaccine — A new study predicts that the vaccine used to provide immunity against this fall's flu will have an efficacy around 20%.
 
Leadership Rounds Foster Culture that Reduces Healthcare-Associated Infections — A new study shows that senior executive meetings with frontline healthcare staff may contribute to patient safety by elevating critical problems and encouraging open dialogue that can solve problems and sustain best practices for reducing healthcare-associated infections.
 
Researchers Use Smartphone to Make a Faster Infection Detector —  Researchers have developed a low-cost, portable laboratory on a phone that works nearly as well as clinical laboratories to detect common viral and bacterial infections.

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