This issue covers some of the most significant news from March. Topics include Candida auris, eye drops recall, top patient safety concerns and C. diff.
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An Emerging Fungal Threat Spread at an Alarming Rate in Us Health Care Facilities, Study Says — CDC published data revealing the rapid rise in number of clinical cases of Candida auris.
Here’s What You Need To Know About the Flurry of Eye Drop Recalls — CBS News published a summary of the FDA's recent recalls on eye drops.
ECRI: Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns — ECRI published its annual "Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns" report. There are a few concerns on the list of particular interest to those involved in infection prevention and control, including delayed identification and treatment of sepsis, clinicians expected to work outside their scope of practice and competencies, and preventable harm due to omitted care or treatment.
Study: Antibiotics Don’t Reduce Risk of Death From Viral Respiratory Infections — A study revealed that prescribing antibiotics for hospital patients with viral respiratory infections appears to have no protective effect and that patients who received antibiotics during their hospitalization were more than twice as likely to die as those who did not.
Infant’s Death Linked To Contaminated Breast Pump; CDC Warns Parents About Rare Infection — CDC advised clinicians providing care for infants aged <2 months or those who were born prematurely or are immunosuppressed to explain the risks of C. sakazakii infection to caregivers, especially if the infant is fed with powdered formula or expressed milk.
COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Experts Identified Actions Aimed at Improving Infection Prevention and Control — GAO issued a new report with recommendations to improve nursing home infection prevention and control.
New Treatment for Invasive Fungal Infection Candidiasis Approved by FDA — FDA approved rezafungin for injection, a treatment for patients with candidemia and invasive candidiasis. The new treatment is the first approved for the invasive fungal infection in over a decade.
Scientists Make Critical Progress Toward Preventing C. Diff Infections — A study performed in mice identified a compound that prevented C. diff infection caused by multiple strains of the bacterium, including those that cause serious illness.
Hospital Survey Highlights Challenges for Infection Control, Antibiotic Stewardship Programs — A hospital survey revealed that infection prevention and control and antibiotic stewardship program interventions requiring staff, time and specialized training were implemented less frequently in 2021 than 2013 and 2018.