ICCS Infection Prevention & Infection Control Newsletter: February 2021

This issue covers some of the most significant news from February. Topics include OSHA guidance, mask recommendations, UTIs, counterfeit N95s, and spine surgery SSIs.

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Infection Hazards Appear on ECRI's Top Health Technology Hazards List — Multiple infection-related issues earned places in ECRI's annual list of top 10 health technology hazards.

OSHA Issues Guidance On Mitigating, Preventing Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace — OSHA issued employer guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.

2 Masks Are Better Than 1 but Fit is Most Important Factor, UNC Researchers Say — Research confirmed the value of double-masking but also revealed that ensuring a single mask is fitted appropriately increases protection effectiveness more.

Visitation at ICF/IIDs and PRTFs During the COVID-19 PHE — CMS issued a memo providing visitation guidance for intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric residential treatment facilities during the pandemic.

Most Women Receive Inappropriate Treatment for Urinary Tract Infections — A study showed that nearly half of women with uncomplicated UTIs received the wrong antibiotics and almost three-quarters received prescriptions for longer than necessary.

Homeland Security Seizes More Than 11 million Counterfeit N95 in Nationwide Scam — Department of Homeland Security seized more than 11 million counterfeit 3M N95 respirator masks. Suspected victims of the scam include healthcare organizations in at least 12 states.

WHO Lists Two Additional COVID-19 Vaccines for Emergency Ese and COVAX Roll-Out — WHO listed two versions of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for these vaccines to be rolled out globally through the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access initiative.

Maximizing Fit for Cloth and Medical Procedure Masks — CDC released findings showing that wearing a cloth mask over a surgical mask and tying knots on the ear loops of surgical masks offer more protection against the novel coronavirus.

Spine Surgery Site Infections Differ "Dramatically" by Level — Researchers recommended personalized SSI prevention strategies for spinal procedures.

Barrier Face Covering Standard — ASTM released its first national standard for face masks.

Phenelle Segal to Present at South Carolina Ambulatory Surgery Center Association Meeting

ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, FAPIC, will be presenting at the South Carolina Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (SCASCA) March membership meeting.

The virtual meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, beginning at 2:00 pm ET.

Phenelle will be presenting on "COVID-19 and Outpatient Surgery Practices – Shaping the Future." The presentation will discuss the effect COVID-19 practices have had on outpatient surgery center practices and what the potential long-term outcome will be in the future. 

Phenelle's presentation is pending approval for AEU and IPCH credits. All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance.

To learn more and register, click here.

Infection Hazards Appear on ECRI's Top Health Technology Hazards List

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Multiple infection-related issues earn places and mentions in ECRI's annual list of top 10 health technology hazards, according to a news release.

Coming in at #4 is imported N95-style masks, which ECRI notes may fail to protect healthcare workers from infectious respiratory diseases. An executive brief for the "Top 10 Health Technology Hazards for 2021" report elaborates, stating, "ECRI testing through December 2020 found that, of the imported non-NIOSH-certified respirator alternatives tested, more than 60% failed to filter airborne particles as well as claimed."

At #6 is ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, with ECRI noting that rushed deployment of UV disinfection devices can reduce effectiveness and increase exposure risks. The executive brief states, "If not used properly, UV disinfection devices may not deliver a high enough dose to inactivate microorganisms, leaving individuals at risk of exposure to infectious pathogens."

ECRI also called attention to infection and infectious disease risks associated with two other hazards on the list. At #9 is remote operation of medical devices designed for bedside use, which ECRI notes can introduce insidious risks. One of the concerns with such operation: "Infection risks associated with increased connection points on infusion tubing or with compromised patient isolation (e.g., if cables are channeled through an ajar door)."

At #10 is 3D printing quality, with ECRI explaining that insufficient quality assurance of 3D-printed patient-specific medical devices may harm patients. Concerning infection, ECRI notes, "The use of an improperly created 3D-printed device could lead to procedure delays, surgical complications, infection, or patient injury."

The hazards taking the top three spots on the 2021 list are:

  1. Emergency use authorization (EUA) device management: Complexity of managing medical devices with COVID-19 EUA

  2. Drug name auto-display: Fatal medication errors can result when drug entry fields populate after only a few letters

  3. Telehealth adoption: Rapid adoption of telehealth technologies can leave patients and data at risk

The 2020 top hazards list included sterile processing errors, central venous catheter risk in at-home hemodialysis, and surgical stapler misuse.