ICCS Infection Prevention & Infection Control Newsletter (April 2019)
This issue of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter recaps some of the biggest infection prevention and control news from April. Highlights include stories on Joint Commission top challenging standards, duodenoscopes, knee replacement, sharps injuries, outpatient antibiotic prescribing and rotator cuff surgery.
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Infection Control Requirements Among the Most Challenging for Joint Commission-Accredited Organizations in 2018 — The Joint Commission released its report on the top five most challenging requirements for 2018. It comes as no surprise that infection control standards hold one or more spots for several of the accreditation organization's programs.
Duodenoscope Reprocessing Remains Infection Prevention Challenge — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that despite efforts to improve the cleaning and reprocessing of duodenoscopes, decontamination remains a significant challenge.
Study Identifies Risk Factors for Serious Knee Replacement Infection — A study has identified the most important risk factors for developing severe infection following knee replacement surgery.
Reprocessing, Infection Prevention Challenges Tied to Endoscopist Off-Label Use of Products — The results of a new study show that the off-label use of a variety of products by endoscopists contribute to reprocessing failures, raising the risk of infection.
Healthcare Worker Surveys Reveal Significant Rise in Sharps Injuries — Surveys of healthcare workers indicate a troubling trend: The number of sharps injuries is increasing.
Outpatient Providers Prescribe Excessive Antibiotics — A study reveals that a significant percentage of antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessarily prescribed to outpatients.
Patients With Dental Infections Receive Excessive CT Scans — The results of a study indicate that emergency settings overorder computed tomography (CT) scans for dental infections.
CDC Hoping Chlorhexidine Soap Will Stop Superbug Infections — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is funding research in hospitals and nursing homes that it hopes will help stop or at least considerably reduce drug-resistant infections,
'New' Candida Auris Fungal Superbug Isn't So New At All — The media is abuzz about Candida auris. Like all superbugs, C. auris is concerning, but it is important to distinguish truth from falsity or rumor when discussing superbugs and working to educate the public on them.
Timing of Steroid Shots Before Rotator Cuff Surgery Affects Infection Risk — For patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, previous steroid injections into the shoulder don't increase the risk of surgical-site infection – unless the injection is administered within one month before surgery, reports a study.
Eliminating Contamination From Hospital Transfers Could Reduce CDI Cases by 13% — Study findings showed that hospital transfers cause a "minority but substantial burden" of C. diff infections in California and that the burden could be reduced by 13% statewide if contamination from hospital transfers was eliminated.
Sleep Safe in Clean Hands: Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance in the Operating Room Through Education and Increased Access to Hand Hygiene Products — The results of a study reveal that education and monitoring of hand hygiene among anesthesia providers in the operating room can improve hand hygiene compliance.
New Study Finds Higher C-Section Infection Risk for Mothers on Medicaid — The risk of surgical site infection following cesarean delivery is higher among Medicaid-insured women when compared to women who were privately insured, according to a study.
Mayo Clinic Researchers Say Fecal Transplants Show Promise for Treating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria — Transplanting human donor fecal microbiota into the colon of a patient infected with C. diff may be the best treatment for those not helped by C. diff-targeted antibiotics.
Report Highlights Lack of Access to Antibiotics — A new report suggests limited access to antibiotics in many parts of the world is an overlooked and under-appreciated problem.
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