ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: July 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from July. Topics include antimicrobial-resistant infections, infection preventionist health, monkeypox, gowns, and linen.

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Drug-Resistant Infections and Deaths Among Hospital Patients Grew Amid Covid-19 Pandemic — A special report released by the CDC found that more than 29,400 people died from antimicrobial-resistant infections in 2020. The full number is likely much higher.

Infection Preventionists' Mental, Physical Health Suffered in Pandemic — A survey revealed that high percentages of IPs reported that COVID-19–related stressors worsened their mental and physical health.

WHO Declares Monkeypox Outbreak a Public Health Emergency — The World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak that has spread around the world a public health emergency.

Widely Used Hospital Gowns Show Signs of Exposing Workers to Infection — A study found that isolation gowns commonly worn in medical units or ICUs ripped too easily and allowed about 4-14 times expected amount of liquid to seep through when sprayed or splashed, leaving healthcare workers with a greater risk of infection.

Hospital-acquired Pneumonia Is Killing Patients. There’s a Simple Way To Stop It. — Hospital patients not getting their teeth brushed, or not brushing their teeth themselves, is believed to be a leading cause of hundreds of thousands of cases of pneumonia a year in patients who have not been put on a ventilator.

Study: SARS-CoV-2 Infection Risk Low for ED Staff Using Recommended Prevention Practices — A study served as yet another reminder of the importance of ensuring healthcare staff always have the PPE they need and understand how to follow appropriate infection control and prevention measures.

Terminal Cleaning, Including UV Sterilization, Effectiveness in Mitigating Pathogen Transmission — An HAI study drew two noteworthy conclusions: 1) Inadequate terminal room cleaning may be an environmental source of pathogen transmission and 2) Adjunct UV-C disinfection does not provide incremental value in reducing transfer of multidrug-resistant organisms above and beyond standard of care.

CMS Doubles Down: Surveyors Do Not Have to Be COVID Vaccinated — CMS said that state surveyors do not need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter any nursing home.

The Role of Health Care Laundry in Infection Prevention — A column outlined the safety importance of and processes for ensuring soiled healthcare linen is always appropriately contained, transported, cleaned, and stored.

Data-Sharing Initiative Aims to Help Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance — A new data-sharing effort could help unlock information that may mitigate the worst aspects of drug-resistant infections.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: June 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from June. Topics include HAIs, ASC CMS citations, antibiotic stewardship requirements, packaged sterile supplies, hand hygiene, stethoscopes, and monkeypox.

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Continued Increases in the Incidence of Healthcare-Associated Infection During the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic — A CDC analysis reveals continued increases in HAIs in U.S. hospitals during 2021. Data show significantly higher incidence in CLABSIs, CAUTIs, VAEs, and MRSA bacteremia.

Trend Emerges in CMS Citations of ASCs — Infection control tags dominated the top 10 cited areas for ambulatory surgery centers by CMS surveyors.

Nursing Home COVID-19 Cases Quadruple as Booster Rates Slow — An analysis showed COVID-19 infections in U.S. nursing homes quadrupled between mid-April and mid-May. Meanwhile, the death rate in the facilities is rising and the uptake of booster shots has slowed.

New and Revised Requirements Addressing Antibiotic Stewardship for the Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Programs — The Joint Commission issued new and revised requirements for antibiotic stewardship for its hospital and critical access hospital programs.

Quick Safety Issue 65: Managing Packaged Sterile Supplies and Devices — The Joint Commission issued a "Quick Safety" on managing and storing packaged sterile supplies.

Assisted Living Providers Struggled With Infection Control During Pandemic — A study revealed assisted living operators reported serious challenges in implementing infection prevention and control practices for residents living with dementia during the pandemic.

Barriers to Hand Hygiene Include Availability of Products, Lack of Feedback — A healthcare worker (HCW) survey explored the reasons why HCW hand hygiene adherence remains low.

Did Stethoscope Hygiene Improve Before and After COVID-19? — Despite a positive shift in stethoscope hygiene during COVID-19, a study showed best hygiene practices were still only performed by around half of providers.

Workstations on Wheels: Contamination Patterns Show Arm Used for Moving Carries Highest Bioburden — Research reveals workstations on wheels are prone to contamination and could potentially serve as fomites in the transmission of HAIs.

HHS Announces Enhanced Strategy to Vaccinate and Protect At-Risk Individuals from the Current Monkeypox Outbreak — The White House and HHS announced a new vaccine strategy to target the growing monkeypox outbreak in the United States.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: May 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from May. Topics include hospital-acquired pneumonia, C. auris, HAIs, dialysis, and antibiotic stewardship.

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New Guidance Released for Preventing Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia — Five organizations – SHEA, IDSA, APIC, AHA, and The Joint Commission – issued new guidance on best practices for preventing hospital-associated pneumonia.

Candida Auris Rapidly Recontaminates Surfaces Around Patients' Beds Despite Cleaning and Disinfection — Research shows that Candida auris (C. auris) recontaminates environmental surfaces within a patient's room within hours despite regular cleaning and disinfection.

Some HAI Incident Increases Continued Into Second Year of COVID-19 — Despite the increase of infection control and prevention protocols throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a study showed that during the first two years of the public health emergency, several health care-acquired infections continued and most increased.

Update to APIC Implementation Guide: Infection Prevention and Control in Dialysis Settings — APIC published an update to its 2010 implementation guide, "Infection Prevention and Control in Dialysis Settings." The 2022 version also includes more information on peritoneal dialysis, home dialysis, special populations, and emergency preparedness.

FDA Authorizes COVID-19 Test That Also Detects Influenza, RSV — FDA granted an EUA to the Labcorp Seasonal Respiratory Virus RT-PCR DTC Test for use without a prescription for people with symptoms of respiratory viral infection consistent with COVID-19. The test can identify and differentiate multiple respiratory viruses at the same time, detecting influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), along with SARS-CoV-2.

Inappropriate Antibiotics for Kids Tied to Adverse Events, Higher Costs — New research suggests the negative consequences of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in children with common infections aren't limited to antibiotic resistance.

Antimicrobial Stewardship After Patient Discharge Is Lacking — A study noted that more than 50% of antimicrobials prescribed in outpatient settings may be unnecessary.

Interprofessional Collaboration Leads to Sustained Reduction in Hospital-Onset C. Difficile Infections — A study points to ways facilities can substantially reduce the incidence of hospital-onset C. diff infection (HO-CDI).

WHO Launches First Ever Global Report on Infection Prevention and Control — The first global infection control report from WHO has found that when good hand hygiene and other cost-effective practices are followed, healthcare organizations can prevent 70% of infections.

COVID-19 Impact on Antimicrobial Stewardship: Consequences and Silver Linings — Learn some of the negative and positive effects of COVID-19 and its impact on antimicrobial stewardship program workload.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: April 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from April. Topics include CLABSI guidance, FDA endoscope warning, contaminated flexible endoscopes, C. diff, and long COVID.

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New Guidance for Preventing Healthcare-Associated Bloodstream Infections — Five medical societies released recommendations for prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in hospitals. The guidance can be accessed here.

The FDA Issues Urgent Warning About Karl Storz Endoscopes Reprocessing Methods — The FDA issued a letter about the change in reprocessing methods for certain urological endoscopes manufactured by Karl Storz, with the administration warning about the risk of infections associated with cystoscopes, ureteroscopes, cystourethroscopes, and ureterorenoscopes.

CDC Alerts Providers to Hepatitis Cases of Unknown Origin — CDC issued a health alert about a cluster of children identified with hepatitis and adenovirus infection. The agency asked physicians to be on the lookout for symptoms and report suspected cases of hepatitis of unknown origin to their health departments.

Despite Safety Alerts, Contaminated Flexible Endoscopes Continue to Put Patients at Risk — Despite efforts and recent warnings to increase the safety and efficacy of reprocessing endoscopes, a study found that reprocessing practices may not always be sufficient to prevent flexible endoscopes from exposing patients to infectious organisms.

Robust Association Between Antibiotics and C Difficile Infection, Even in Outpatient Settings — A study showed that the risk of a community-acquired C diff infection was substantially higher in outpatients with antibiotic exposure than those without.

In-Use Disinfectant Bucket Identified as Source of Contamination in Hospital — A study found that failure to adhere to recommended disinfection protocols and manufacturer's instructions for use of a hospital-grade disinfectant led to the contamination of high-touch surfaces.

About 30 Percent of COVID Patients Develop 'Long COVID,' Researchers Find — Research found that 3 out of every 10 people treated for COVID-19 developed post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (i.e., "long COVID").

Toolkit for Preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs — AHRQ released a toolkit for preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs that the agency said was based on the experience of hundreds of ICUs nationwide.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: March 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from March. Topics include updated endoscope processing guidance, CLABSIs, OSHA inspections, antibiotic stewardship, and a decolonization toolkit.

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Infection Risks Associated With ECRI Top Patient Safety Concerns 2022 — ECRI Institute published its "Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2022" report, which includes multiple safety challenges associated with infections.

ANSI and AAMI Update Flexible Endoscope Sterilization and Quality Control Processing Guidance — After seven years, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) updated their guidance for disinfection/sterilizing, storage, and quality control procedures of flexible endoscopes.

Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Infections in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients: Central Line-associated Blood Stream Infections — CDC released new recommendations for the prevention of CLABSIs in neonatal intensive care unit patients.

Between a Rock and Hard Place: Recommendations for Balancing Patient Safety and Pandemic Response — APIC issued a report providing strategies to increase the nation's infection prevention and control workforce, strengthen prevention programs, and build resiliency for future pandemics.

OSHA to Boost Healthcare Inspections to Prepare for COVID Variants — OSHA announced it is increasing inspection of hospitals and nursing facilities that treat COVID-19 patients over the next few months to prepare for the potential emergence of new variants of the virus.

Engagement in Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Results in Drop in Antibiotics — Research showed that long-term care facilities were able to see a reduction in antibiotic starts and days of antibiotic therapy by engaging in an antibiotic stewardship program.

Toolkit for Decolonization of Non-ICU Patients With Devices — AHRQ published a toolkit that includes step-by-step instructions, handouts, and educational videos to show frontline teams how to apply a decolonization protocol for non-ICU patients at greater risk of bloodstream infections.

New Study Finds Aerosolized Hydrogen Peroxide Can Significantly Reduce C. Difficile Infections in Hospital Settings — Research showed that adding aerosolized hydrogen peroxide to hospital infection prevention protocols can effectively reduce C. diff infections.

Aspirin May Reduce Death in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients — Research showed that hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 who were given aspirin early on in their treatment had a lower risk of dying compared to patients who were not given aspirin.