This issue covers some of the most significant news from December. Topics include Omicron, accreditation standards, face-mask practices, updated CDC guidelines, and antibiotic resistance.
Note: Stay tuned for the annual special edition of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter where we highlight some of the biggest news and ICCS reports from 2021.
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CDC Confirms First U.S. Case of Omicron COVID Variant Has Been Detected in California — The month kicked off with this news. Within just a few weeks, Omicron became the dominant COVID strain.
Holiday Gathering: Omicron Precautions From ICCS — ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, FAPIC, provided advice on how to travel and gather more safely as the country confronted the Omicron surge — guidance that is worth following even with the holidays behind us.
Hospitals Confront New Accreditation Standards to Come — MedPage Today discusses possible new hospital Joint Commission standards for 2022 in areas that include medication management, antimicrobial stewardship, community-acquired pneumonia, and other infections.
2020 Report to Congress: CMS Remains Critical of AO Performance — Infection control, missed deficiencies within the physical environment, and a few other issues were highly cited in CMS' latest annual report card on the performance of accrediting organizations.
High-Flow Oxygen Reduces Need for Mechanical Ventilation in Severe COVID-19 — Investigators found that patients with severe COVID who received high-flow oxygen therapy were less likely to need mechanical ventilation and had a shorter time to clinical recovery.
New Study Identifies Most Effective Face-Mask Practices to Reduce Spread of Infection — Study findings provide guidance for increasing the effectiveness of face masks.
Update to 'Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections Transmitted Among Healthcare Personnel and Patients' — CDC updated four parts of the "Epidemiology and Control of Selected Infections" section of the "Guideline for Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel." The updates concern diphtheria, group A streptococcus, meningococcal disease, and pertussis.
Candida auris: Coming Soon to a Facility Near You? — This is a good summary about and guidance concerning Candida auris, which we are increasingly seeing throughout the country.
Hope on the Horizon: Treatment for Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Infections — Study results provide hope for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections.
Brown Introduces Legislation to Combat Threat of Antibiotic Resistant 'Superbugs' — U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown reintroduced The Strategies to Address Antibiotic Resistance (STAAR Act), which would provide a multipronged strategy to limit the growing impact of antibiotic resistance.
CDC Launches Networks to Boost Global Response to Antibiotic Resistance — The CDC announced an initiative to bolster the global response to antimicrobial resistance, awarding millions of dollars to organizations in more than 50 countries.
Add Biopreparedness to IP Checklist — A column in Infection Control Today details why infection preventionists should "harness the current attention to biopreparedness and use the momentum to build the foundations for strong local programs that can be sustained through future waves of competing priorities."
'Implementation Science' Critical to Reducing Antibiotic Resistance — A white paper published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology outlined the steps involved in designing and conducting an implementation research study in support of antibiotic stewardship.