ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: March 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from March. Topics include updated endoscope processing guidance, CLABSIs, OSHA inspections, antibiotic stewardship, and a decolonization toolkit.

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Infection Risks Associated With ECRI Top Patient Safety Concerns 2022 — ECRI Institute published its "Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2022" report, which includes multiple safety challenges associated with infections.

ANSI and AAMI Update Flexible Endoscope Sterilization and Quality Control Processing Guidance — After seven years, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) updated their guidance for disinfection/sterilizing, storage, and quality control procedures of flexible endoscopes.

Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Infections in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients: Central Line-associated Blood Stream Infections — CDC released new recommendations for the prevention of CLABSIs in neonatal intensive care unit patients.

Between a Rock and Hard Place: Recommendations for Balancing Patient Safety and Pandemic Response — APIC issued a report providing strategies to increase the nation's infection prevention and control workforce, strengthen prevention programs, and build resiliency for future pandemics.

OSHA to Boost Healthcare Inspections to Prepare for COVID Variants — OSHA announced it is increasing inspection of hospitals and nursing facilities that treat COVID-19 patients over the next few months to prepare for the potential emergence of new variants of the virus.

Engagement in Antibiotic Stewardship Programs Results in Drop in Antibiotics — Research showed that long-term care facilities were able to see a reduction in antibiotic starts and days of antibiotic therapy by engaging in an antibiotic stewardship program.

Toolkit for Decolonization of Non-ICU Patients With Devices — AHRQ published a toolkit that includes step-by-step instructions, handouts, and educational videos to show frontline teams how to apply a decolonization protocol for non-ICU patients at greater risk of bloodstream infections.

New Study Finds Aerosolized Hydrogen Peroxide Can Significantly Reduce C. Difficile Infections in Hospital Settings — Research showed that adding aerosolized hydrogen peroxide to hospital infection prevention protocols can effectively reduce C. diff infections.

Aspirin May Reduce Death in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients — Research showed that hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 who were given aspirin early on in their treatment had a lower risk of dying compared to patients who were not given aspirin.

Infection Risks Associated With ECRI Top Patient Safety Concerns 2022

ECRI Institute's "Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns 2022" report includes multiple safety challenges associated with infections.

ECRI states that it creates the annual list of patient safety concerns to help healthcare organizations identify and respond to imminent safety threats. With each of the top 10 patient safety concerns, ECRI provides guidance (i.e., "action recommendations") to help organizations address these areas of concern.

Coming in first on the 2022 list is "staffing shortages," including those associated with registered nurses, technicians and physicians. Staffing shortages increase the likelihood of staff burnout and exhaustion that can lead to care mistakes and associated infections.

In second is "COVID-19 effects on healthcare workers' mental health." This is another area contributing to burnout that can contribute to safety shortcomings and subsequent infections.

In third is "bias and racism in addressing patient safety." As ECRI notes, "Although patients from racial and ethnic minority groups are more likely to experience an adverse event while in the hospital providers are significantly less likely to report harmful events for patients from minority groups than for white patients."

Sixth on the list is "nonventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia" (NVHAP). Pneumonia is the most common healthcare-associated infection (HAI) in the United States. About 1 in every 100 hospitalized patients experiences NVHAP. ECRI reports that NVHAP diagnoses in the United States make up nearly two-thirds of the cases, compared with about one-third associated with ventilators. Among the action recommendations included in the report: incorporating patient-care intervention bundles, conducting infection surveillance, and targeting performance improvement activities focusing on NVHAP risks.

Coming in eighth is "international supply chain disruptions." When organizations are forced to change processes and develop workarounds to account for a lack of equipment and delays in shipping, the likelihood of mistakes that can lead to an infection increase.

To download ECRI’s report, go here.

The top 10 patient safety concerns list of 2021 included improvised use of medical devices, peripheral vascular harm and infection risk from aerosol-generating procedures.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: February 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from February. Topics include a Joint Commission advisory on reusable instruments, infection risk associated with mattress failure, growing threat of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, federal funding for LTC, and printable PPE.

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Quick Safety Issue 64: Ensuring Critical Instruments and Devices Are Appropriate for Reuse — The Joint Commission issued a new Quick Safety advisory on ensuring the safety of critical medical instruments and devices. The advisory highlights reprocessing guidance from FDA and special circumstances for single-use devices.

Hospital Mattress Failure Is a Potential Threat to Patient Safety — A study shows that patients can potentially be at increased risk for infection from damaged hospital mattresses and beds.

Handrails, Equipment Controls Among Most Contaminated High-Touch Surfaces in Long-Term Care Facilities — A study of LTC facilities shows that these surfaces were 4 times more likely to register high levels of contamination.

Dublin VA May Have Exposed 4,000 Veterans to Infection With Improperly Cleaned Equipment — An internal review found there may have been times when "all the steps needed for a complete or safe sterilization weren't followed." We wrote about the importance of strictly adhering to IFUs, which you can read here.

APIC Calls for Increased Investment in Infection Prevention — In response to a NEJM Group perspective, APIC called for healthcare organizations to strengthen infection prevention programs by adding personnel, resources, and training to support prevention and surge capacity for future pandemics.

Report Highlights 'Fragile and Failing' Antibiotic Pipeline — A concerning analysis shows that the breadth and novelty of the clinical antibacterial pipeline is insufficient to meet the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

CMS Unleashes New Tool for Improving Facility Air Quality — Funding is available for LTC providers that want to make air quality upgrades to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Inhaled COVID-19 Vaccine Protects Against Variants of Concern — Research shows that intranasal COVID-19 vaccines may be more effective at protecting against current and future variants than a shot.

Not Enough PPE? Print Some Out — The more we can learn from our experience over these past two years, the better prepared we will be for the next public health emergency. One key takeaway: 3D printing may prove to be a big help.