In this special edition of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter, catch up on the some of the biggest news items from the first half of 2018.
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AORN to Revise Surgical Attire Guideline, Raising Questions — This ICCS special report shares the news of AORN announcing plans to revise its "Guideline for Surgical Attire" following a meeting with the American College of Surgeons and several other organizations and the questions this news raises for healthcare facilities, including ambulatory surgery centers.
FDA Updates Protocols to Reduce Duodenoscope-Associated Infection Risk — The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced new voluntary, standardized protocols for duodenoscope surveillance sampling and culturing.
Joint Commission Now Citing Any Hand Hygiene Failure — The Joint Commission announced that as of Jan. 1, 2018, surveyors witnessing any failure of healthcare personnel to perform hand hygiene while providing direct patient care will be cited as a deficiency.
Infection Control Standard is 2017's "Most Challenging" for Joint Commission-Accredited Ambulatory Healthcare Organizations — An infection control standard was the most challenging for Joint Commission-accredited ambulatory healthcare organizations in 2017. Note: An infection control standard was also the most challenging for office-based surgery practices (read report).
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.
ASC Infection Rates Following Colonoscopy and Endoscopy Higher Than Believed — Rates of infection following colonoscopies and upper-GI endoscopies performed at ambulatory surgery centers is much higher than previously expected, according to a study.
SHEA Issues Hospital Guidance on Contact Precautions for Drug-Resistant Infections — The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) issued new guidance for hospitals concerning when they can safely discontinue contact precautions for patients with multi-drug resistant bacteria.
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), SHEA and the Society of Infectious Disease Pharmacists (SIDP).
Joint Commission Issues New Maternal Infectious Disease Requirements — The Joint Commission implemented three new elements of performance (EPs) pertaining to maternal infectious disease identification and prevention.
FDA Warns Against Use of 24-Hour Multi-Patient Use Endoscope Connectors — The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert to healthcare providers and facilities advising them against using "24-hour multi-patient use endoscope connectors" because of the risk of cross-contamination.
Study: Nearly Three-Quarters of Commonly Used Medical Scopes Tainted by Bacteria — A study shows that 71% of reusable medical scopes deemed ready for use on patients tested positive for bacteria at three major U.S. hospitals.
Leapfrog: Poorer-Performing Hospitals Struggle with Infection Control — When the Leapfrog Group announced its spring "2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades," one of the key takeaways was that infection control is a significant challenge for hospitals receiving lower scores.
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