This issue covers some of the most significant news from May. Topics include SSI prevention guidelines, assisted living guidance, eyedrops, outpatient dialysis and RSV.
* * *
Strategies To Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute-Care Hospitals: 2022 Update — Five medical organizations led by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) issued updated recommendations for preventing SSIs. This SHEA news release summarizes the key recommendations.
New Guidance: Antibiotics Should be Halted Upon Closure of Incisions — Included in the updated SSI recommendations: discontinue antibiotics administered before and during surgery immediately after a patient's incision is closed.
Assisted Living Infection Prevention Guidance Updated by CDC With PHE Expiration — CDC issued updated infection prevention guidance for assisted living, group homes and other residential care settings (not including nursing homes).
Ending of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency & Other Policy Changes: What Clinicians Need to Know — IDSA published an infographic on policy changes related to the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency and certain federal legislation/funding.
Tainted Eye Drops Tied to 81 Cases of Highly Resistant Pseudomonas, 4 Deaths — CDC issued an update on the eye drops linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant bacteria responsible for multiple deaths and more than a dozen people experiencing vision loss.
Study Shows Hospital Policy Allowing Nurses to Initiate C. Difficile Testing Could Reduce Infection Spread and Associated Morbidity — The results of a study found that allowing bedside nurses to independently order testing for C. diff significantly decreased the amount of time to receive test results as compared to requiring physician approval.
5 Unsafe Injection Practices That Can Harm Dialysis Patients — An article from the American Medical Association discussed unsafe injection practices in outpatient dialysis.
Building a Culture of Safety in Health Care — The American Hospital Association issued a report highlighting key takeaways from a series of AHA-hosted listening sessions on the state of infection prevention and control.
Why Is RSV Different Now Than in Past Years? — An article from the Cleveland Clinic explored how the respiratory syncytial virus is changing.