March was another busy month for infection prevention and control news. Highlights in this issue of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter include reports on high-deficiency AAAHC standards, duodenoscope compliance, antibiotic stewardship, the flu and syringe reuse at a Minnesota clinic.
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Infection Prevention and Control Standards Challenge AAAHC-Accredited Organizations — Infection prevention- and control-related standards are among those with high deficiency percentages for organizations accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).
ECRI: Device Cleaning, Disinfection and Sterilization a Top Patient Safety Concern — The ECRI Institute identified "device cleaning, disinfection and sterilization" as a significant patient safety concern in its "2018 Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns for Healthcare Organizations" report.
FDA Warns Duodenoscope Manufacturers on Postmarket Surveillance Studies — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to all three duodenoscope manufacturers. The letters speak to the failure of Olympus, Fujifilm and Pentax to comply with a federal order concerning the conducting of postmarket surveillance studies to assess the effectiveness of reprocessing duodenoscopes.
Study: Annual Treatment of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections Exceeds $2 Billion — Researchers have determined it costs $2.2 billion every year to treat antibiotic-resistant infections.
Infection Prevention and Control Programs are Essential to Antibiotic Stewardship Efforts —Infection prevention and control and antibiotic stewardship programs are inextricably linked, according to a joint position paper published by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists (SIDP).
Study: No Progress Seen in Reducing Antibiotics Among Outpatients — Antibiotics are prescribed at startlingly high rates in outpatient settings such as clinics and physician offices, despite public health campaigns aimed at reducing unnecessary prescriptions for such medications, according to a study.
CDC Warns of 2nd Flu Wave — The second strain of the deadly H3N2 virus has now overtaken influenza A. Flu B is typically not as severe as Flu A, but for young children it could still be deadly.
Infection Control is a Key Priority — and Challenge — for High-Performing Hospitals — Despite efforts by hospitals and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve rates of hospital-acquired infections, more work needs to be done.
About 160 Syringes Reused at Minn. Clinic; Nurse Practitioner Fired — A nurse practitioner at an Allina Health dermatology clinic at Bandana Square in St. Paul, Minn., is accused of reusing a syringe — but not the needle — during injections. The healthcare system told patients they should be tested for HIV and hepatitis. The risk of infection is extremely low, according to an Allina spokesman, and the nurse practitioner no longer works for Allina.
FDA Issues Warning for Sterile Injectables from Cantrell Drug Co. — FDA issued a warning concerning drug products produced by Cantrell Drug Co. The warning relates to opioid products and other drugs intended for sterile injection produced and distributed nationwide by the company.
ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal to Present at FSASC's 2018 Quality & Risk Management Conference — Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, FAPIC, will present at the 2018 Florida Society of Ambulatory Surgical Centers' (FSASC) Quality & Risk Management Conference, April 19-20 in Orlando. Her topic is "Infection Prevention Update – Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection."
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