CDC Launches New Infection Control Training Course Series

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a new infection control training course series.

The series will include 11 courses. The first two — available now — focus on hand hygiene and competency-based training. The courses are part of the new CDC/States Targeting Reduction in Infections via Engagement (STRIVE) curriculum, which was developed by infection prevention experts led by the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET) for CDC.

The STRIVE curriculum will include more than 40 individual training modules. The CDC states that individual modules can be used for new employee training, annual infection prevention training and periodic training. They will be grouped into 11 courses that focus on foundational and targeted infection prevention strategies.

The courses are broken down as follows:

Foundational Infection Prevention Strategies

• Hand hygiene

• Competency-based training

• Strategies for preventing healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs)

• Environmental cleaning

• Personal protective equipment (PPE)

• Patient and family engagement

Targeted Infection Prevention Strategies

• Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI)

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia

• Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI)

• Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI)

All courses are free and offer continuing education.

Learn more about STRIVE and access the first two courses available here.

Study: S. Aureus Prevalent on Nursing Students' Cell Phones

The results of new research show the presence of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) on the cell phones of many nursing students.

Researchers collected samples from 100 cell phones of students participating in nursing, biomedicine, pharmacy, dentistry and nutrition courses; 20 cell phones were collected from students in each course. The vast majority of bacteria detected was found on cell phones belonging to students in the nursing courses. Of the bacteria isolated, 85% were resistant to penicillin and half had the ability to adhere to surfaces. 

As noted in a news release about the research, which was conducted at the Western University of São Paulo, Brazil, "Nursing students are very likely to become carriers of S. aureus since clinical practice in hospital settings is part of their coursework and exposure to occupational hazards is inherent to this setting, which could favor the colonization and contamination of the surface of cell devices."  

While cell phones can be helpful tools, this research further shows that they can also contribute to infections when used in healthcare environments without proper disinfection.

Lizziane Kretli, professor at the Western University of São Paulo, said, in the release, "The widespread use of cell devices in hospitals and healthcare settings has raised major concerns about nosocomial infections, especially in areas requiring the highest standards of hygiene, such as the operating room."

The research was presented at ASM Microbe, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

Joint Commission Introduces New Ambulatory Antimicrobial Stewardship Requirements

The Joint Commission has announced new antimicrobial stewardship requirements for accredited ambulatory healthcare organizations that routinely prescribe antimicrobial medications.

The elements of performance (EPs) associated with new standard MM.09.01.03 — "Antimicrobial stewardship is identified as an organizational priority" — will become effective Jan. 1, 2020.

As noted in a Joint Commission news release, the five EPs associated with this standard address the following:

• Identifying an antimicrobial stewardship leader

• Establishing an annual antimicrobial stewardship goal

• Implementing evidence-based practice guidelines related to the antimicrobial stewardship goal

• Providing clinical staff with educational resources related to the antimicrobial stewardship goal

• Collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related to the antimicrobial stewardship goal

The Joint Commission noted stated that these new requirements are intended to "help decrease misuse of antimicrobial medications, which contributes to antibiotic resistance and adverse drug events."

Access the prepublication version of the antimicrobial stewardship requirements here.

CDC Offers New, Free Online Infection Control Training Resources

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the availability of new, complimentary online interactive infection control training.

"Let's Talk Patient Safety: Reducing Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Transmission Risk" is designed to help healthcare professionals identify infection risks and prevent the spread of HAIs.

The training provides free continuing education: 0.1 CEU and 0.6 CNE. It has two modules, with CDC estimating that it takes about 30 minutes to complete the training.

The modules are described as follows:

"What's the Risk?": This interactive module transports healthcare professionals into a scenario where they must identify infection risks and act to protect patients, colleagues and visitors.

"Chain of Infection": This story-based interactive module challenges professionals to break the chain of infection in a busy healthcare environment and educates them on the consequences of not following infection prevention and control recommendations.

The training is intended for administrators, advanced practice nurses, licensed practical/vocational nurses, medical assistants, other health educators, registered nurses and all other healthcare professionals involved in patient care.

Access this new infection prevention course here.

Study: Hospital Faucets Can Spread Contaminants in Patient Care Areas

The results of a study show that hospital faucet use can spread dangerous contaminants that may harm patients.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System and presented at the 46th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), examined and measured the cleanliness of multiple faucet and sink designs.

Researchers found that "… a shallow depth of the sink bowl enabled potentially contaminated water to splash onto patient care items, healthcare worker hands and into patient care spaces — at times at a distance of more than four feet from the sink itself," according to an APIC news release.

Particularly alarming was that the inside of faucets — which typically cannot be cleaned — were found to be dirtier than researchers anticipated.

Study author Kristen VanderElzen, said, in the release, "Potentially hazardous germs in and around sinks present a quandary for infection preventionists, since having accessible sinks for hand washing is so integral to everything we promote."

APIC President Karen Hoffmann noted, "Because the healthcare environment can serve as a source of resistant organisms capable of causing dangerous infections, an organization's infection prevention and control program must ensure that measures are in place to reduce the risk of transmission from environmental sources and monitor compliance with those measures."