ICCS Infection Prevention & Infection Control Newsletter: Feb. 2020 (1st Half)
This issue of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter covers news from the first half of February. Topics include standard precautions, CMS requirements, duodenoscopes, injection practices and flu vaccine.
Note: Catch up on news you may have missed from the latter half of January here.
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ICCS Special Report: What to Know About Standard Precautions — This special report examines "standard precautions," including the definition, what they include, recent changes and more.
CMS: Review Infection Prevention and Control Policies and Practices Now — With the coronavirus spreading, CMS reminded facilities about infection control requirements and expectations.
High Infection, Injury Rates Lead to Medicare Penalties for Several U.S. News' 'Best Hospitals' — Seven of the 21 hospitals on U.S. News' "Best Hospitals Honor Roll" were penalized by Medicare for higher rates of infections and patient injuries than other hospitals.
FDA Approves Duodenoscope With Disposable Endcap From Olympus — FDA has now cleared five duodenoscopes with disposable components that facilitate reprocessing.
Study: Unsafe Injection Practices Endanger Thousands of Patients — The number of U.S. patients notified of potential exposures to blood-contaminated medications or injection equipment since 2001 is nearly 200,000.
FDA Approves New Pandemic Influenza Vaccine — The Audenz vaccine is designed to protect against pandemic influenza A (H5N1).
Unmasked: Experts Explain Necessary Respiratory Protection for COVID-19 — Ideally, experts say, anyone coming into the room with a COVID-19 patient should wear a tight-fitting respirator, not a looser-fitting surgical mask.
Surgical Attire Changes a Bust for Infection Control? — Mandating surgical jackets and bouffant caps in the surgical suite didn't reduce patients' infection risk and may not have been worth the cost, a study suggested.
U.S. Flu Activity Still Rising, Nearing Earlier Peak, With 14 More Kids' Deaths — CDC reports that U.S. flu levels rose for the fourth straight week and are now approaching earlier peak levels, while 14 new flu-related pediatric deaths raised the fatalities in kids to 92 for the season.
Why C. Difficile Infection Spreads Despite Increased Sanitation Practices — Research underscores C. diff infection is not a common hospital transmission.
EMR Intervention Linked to Fewer C. Diff Test Orders — An EMR "nudge" implemented at four hospitals in an academic medical network was associated with a reduction in inappropriate and total hospital-onset C. diff infection orders.
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