Joint Commission Infection Control Standards Among the Most Challenging in 2020

The Joint Commission has published the top 5 requirements identified most frequently as "not compliant" during surveys and reviews performed in 2020, and infection control standards made the list for many programs.

The breakdown is as follows:

Ambulatory Health Care

Infection control standards take the top two spots:

1) IC.02.02.01: The organization reduces the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies.

2) IC.02.01.01: The organization implements infection prevention and control activities.

Nursing Care Centers

An infection control standard took the second spot:

2) IC.02.01.01: The organization implements its infection prevention and control plan.

Home Care

An infection control standard took the first spot:

1) IC.02.01.01: The organization implements the infection prevention and control activities it has planned.

Office-Based Surgery

Infection control standards take the top two spots:

1) IC.02.02.01: The practice reduces the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies.

2) IC.02.01.01: The practice implements infection prevention and control plan.

Hospitals

Infection control standards were second and third:

2) IC.02.02.01: The hospital reduces the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies.

3) IC.02.01.01: The hospital implements its infection prevention and control plan.

Critical Access Hospitals

Infection control standards took the first and third spots:

1) IC.02.02.01: The critical access hospital reduces the risk of infections associated with medical equipment, devices, and supplies.

3) IC.02.01.01: The critical access hospital implements its infection prevention and control plan.

Access the full lists for these and other programs in the latest issue of Joint Commission Online.

The Infection Control Consulting Services (ICCS) team has a lengthy track record of success with assisting healthcare providers with preparation for surveys, mitigation of deficiencies, and development of plans of correction. To learn more, contact ICCS.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: April 2021

This issue covers some of the most significant news from April. Topics include nursing home citations, urological endoscopes, antimicrobial resistance, airborne transmission of COVID, and C. diff.

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Infection Control Immediate Jeopardy Citations Tripled in 2020 – and Nursing Homes Should Expect Even More — An analysis of citations of non-compliance with federal regulations received by nursing homes showed that the F-tag F880, for the presence of an infection prevention and control program, was cited more than 11,500 times in 2020.

FDA is Investigating Reports of Infections Associated with Reprocessed Urological Endoscopes — From Jan. 1, 2017, through Feb. 20, 2021, the FDA received more than 450 medical device reports describing post-procedure patient infections or other possible contamination issues associated with reprocessing urological endoscopes.

Antibiotic Development, Stewardship Advocates See Window of Opportunity — Many clinicians, scientists, and public health advocates are calling for renewed attention to antimicrobial resistance, which was in the spotlight before the pandemic.

Long-Term Care Remains in the Dark About Infection Preventionist Requirements — Long-term care providers remain in the dark as to who will fit the federal government's final infection preventionist criteria.

FDA Recommends Transition from Use of Decontaminated Disposable Respirators — FDA announced that healthcare personnel and facilities should transition away from crisis capacity conservation strategies, such as decontamination and bioburden reduction systems.

Top Violation at Iowa Nursing Homes: Infection Control — The most frequently cited healthcare violations in Iowa nursing homes in 2020 were related to infection control. From what the ICCS team has witnessed, this is likely the case in most, if not all states.

Experts Provide 10 Reasons Why the Coronavirus is Airborne — An assessment of published research led researchers to conclude that COVID-19 is predominantly transmitted through the air and had them calling for immediate implementation of public health measures focused on protecting against such transmission.

Doctor Group Advises Shorter Antibiotic Course for Common Infections — The American College of Physicians released new guidelines recommending a short course of antibiotics for four common inpatient bacterial infections in inpatient and outpatient settings.

Open the Windows to Curb COVID Spread: Experts — Opening windows and ventilating spaces should be at the heart of efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a group of experts stated.

Antibiotic Stewardship Program Implementation Reduces Antibiotic Use — A study of more than 400 hospitals offers takeaways for creating hospital antibiotic stewardship programs.

Diabetes Drug Could Protect Against Dangerous Infection — Researchers have demonstrated that a common diabetes drug inhibits the spread of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff).

Overprescribing of Certain Antibiotics Might Cause C. Diff — A study showed that greatly reducing the prescribing of carbapenems and third- and fourth-generation cephalosporin antibiotics can help contain the spread of C. diff.

Phenelle Segal to Present on Deficiencies in Long-Term Care Facilities

ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, FAPIC, will be presenting a webcast on common deficiencies during focused surveys of long-term care facilities as part of the Post-Acute NOW educational program.

Phenelle's program on "COVID-19 Focused Surveys: Common Deficiencies in Long-Term Care Facilities" is scheduled for April 15, 2021, from 1:30 PM ET - 2:15 PM ET. The session is described as follows:

Focused surveys generated by CMS through several State Department of Health Offices have been in progress since late 2020. Surveyors are visiting facilities and spending time reviewing multiple processes, including contact tracing, surveillance, isolation, use of PPE and more. While SNFs have been working diligently to remain compliant with nationally recognized guidelines and standards as well as state regulations, there are several pitfalls that have resulted in immediate jeopardy situations and other federal tags that create more demand and stress for an already strained sector of healthcare. In this session, participants will learn to:

• Recognize the most common deficiencies during focused surveys

• Identify the root cause of common deficiencies

• Recommend mitigation strategies to implement and maintain compliance

• Avoid survey pitfalls and successfully remain compliant.

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To learn more and register, click here.

The session is sponsored by Post-Acute Advisor, an HCPro publication.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Infection Control Newsletter: March 2021

This issue covers some of the most significant news from March. Topics include top patient safety concerns, Joint Commission surveys, nursing home citations, CLABSIs, hand dryers, and a hand sanitizer recall.

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ECRI Top Patient Safety Concerns for 2021 Include Multiple Infection Risks — Multiple safety challenges associated with infections earned places in ECRI's annual list of top 10 patient safety concerns.

Effective March 15 Joint Commission returning to unannounced onsite surveys — The Joint Commission announced it had resumed unannounced onsite surveys for most programs.

Top 10 Nursing Home Survey Citations — An analysis of federal survey data showed that infection prevention and control deficiencies are among the top citations for nursing home providers.

Lawmakers Want Obama-Era Infection Control Regulations for Nursing Homes Restored — Stricter infection control and emergency preparedness regulations could be on the horizon for skilled nursing and other long-term care providers.

C. auris Taking Advantage of Focus on COVID-19 — Experts warned that pathogens like Candida auris are taking advantage of gaps in monitoring and containment efforts.

National CLABSI rate increased significantly during pandemic — Research showed that the rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) in acute care hospitals increased significantly during the pandemic.

Though Risk is Minuscule, Infection After COVID-19 Vaccination is Possible — A study of vaccinated healthcare workers found a tiny percentage tested positive, underscoring need for mitigation measures until the population has achieved herd immunity through vaccination.

High Speed Air Hand Dryers Spread Contamination More than Paper Towels — A study showed air dryers spread bacteria from poorly washed hands to clothing and surfaces beyond the restroom.

Durisan Hand Sanitizer Recall Due to Microbial Contamination — Durisan announced a recall of select lots of its antimicrobial hand sanitizer, non-alcohol products due to microbial contamination.

Real-World Study Shows MS Patients Have High Infection Risks — A study revealed that outpatient claims and inpatient hospitalizations for infections — especially urinary and kidney infections — were higher among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than controls.

Health Experts Establish Targets to Improve Hospital Antibiotic Prescribing — A CDC study estimated that ~56% of antibiotics prescribed in hospitals for selected prescribing events were inconsistent with recommended prescribing practices, which led to the first-ever national targets to reduce inappropriate prescribing of certain antibiotics in U.S. hospitals.

Cross-Sector Coalition Calls for Significantly Increased Investments to Combat AMR — A coalition of more than 50 organizations called on the federal government to increase investments to combat antimicrobial resistance and develop new infection-fighting drugs.

ECRI Top Patient Safety Concerns for 2021 Include Multiple Infection Risks

ECRI Institute's "Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2021" report includes multiple safety challenges associated with infections.

ECRI states that it creates the annual list of patient safety concerns to help healthcare organizations proactively identify and respond to safety threats. With each of the top 10 patient safety concerns, ECRI provides guidance (i.e., "action recommendations") to help organizations address these areas of concern.

Coming in second on the list is "Emergency Preparedness and Response in Aging Services." Among the action recommendations included in the report: "Adhere to strict infection prevention and control precautions."

Third on the list is "Pandemic Preparedness Across the Health System." ECRI notes infection prevention and control is a key component of pandemic preparedness.

Fourth is "Supply Chain Interruptions." An action recommendation: "Determine which devices are appropriate to reuse when feasible and follow all proper disinfection protocols."

In seventh is "Improvised Use of Medical Devices." One of the action recommendations: "Analyze device impact on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and other facility structures through an infection control risk assessment."

Coming in ninth is "Peripheral Vascular Harm." ECRI notes, "Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are the most widely used invasive devices among inpatients. Severe cases of PIVC infection require intensive care or long-term care. They can lead to extended lengths of stay and antibiotic treatments — and even death."

Last on the list is "Infection Risk from Aerosol- Generating Procedures." ECRI notes, "Aerosol-generating procedures have always posed risks to healthcare workers, but COVID-19 has amplified these risks. COVID-19 spreads to humans via exposure to respiratory droplets. Comparisons with two similar viruses, SARS and MERS, suggest that aerosolization of particles — and thus potential infection of clinicians during aerosol-generating procedures — is possible."

To address this final challenge, ECRI states, "Infection control leaders across the continuum of care should assess practitioners’ safety during aerosol-generating procedures and work to develop, implement, and enforce appropriate precautions."

Taking the top spot on the 2021 list is "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare."

The annual list of patient safety challenges is compiled using data on patient safety events and concerns and on the "judgment of interdisciplinary patient safety experts from inside and outside ECRI."

To download ECRI’s report, go here.

The top 10 patient safety concerns list of 2020 included challenges concerning sterile processing and antimicrobial stewardship.