ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: June 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from June. Topics include HAIs, ASC CMS citations, antibiotic stewardship requirements, packaged sterile supplies, hand hygiene, stethoscopes, and monkeypox.

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Continued Increases in the Incidence of Healthcare-Associated Infection During the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic — A CDC analysis reveals continued increases in HAIs in U.S. hospitals during 2021. Data show significantly higher incidence in CLABSIs, CAUTIs, VAEs, and MRSA bacteremia.

Trend Emerges in CMS Citations of ASCs — Infection control tags dominated the top 10 cited areas for ambulatory surgery centers by CMS surveyors.

Nursing Home COVID-19 Cases Quadruple as Booster Rates Slow — An analysis showed COVID-19 infections in U.S. nursing homes quadrupled between mid-April and mid-May. Meanwhile, the death rate in the facilities is rising and the uptake of booster shots has slowed.

New and Revised Requirements Addressing Antibiotic Stewardship for the Hospital and Critical Access Hospital Programs — The Joint Commission issued new and revised requirements for antibiotic stewardship for its hospital and critical access hospital programs.

Quick Safety Issue 65: Managing Packaged Sterile Supplies and Devices — The Joint Commission issued a "Quick Safety" on managing and storing packaged sterile supplies.

Assisted Living Providers Struggled With Infection Control During Pandemic — A study revealed assisted living operators reported serious challenges in implementing infection prevention and control practices for residents living with dementia during the pandemic.

Barriers to Hand Hygiene Include Availability of Products, Lack of Feedback — A healthcare worker (HCW) survey explored the reasons why HCW hand hygiene adherence remains low.

Did Stethoscope Hygiene Improve Before and After COVID-19? — Despite a positive shift in stethoscope hygiene during COVID-19, a study showed best hygiene practices were still only performed by around half of providers.

Workstations on Wheels: Contamination Patterns Show Arm Used for Moving Carries Highest Bioburden — Research reveals workstations on wheels are prone to contamination and could potentially serve as fomites in the transmission of HAIs.

HHS Announces Enhanced Strategy to Vaccinate and Protect At-Risk Individuals from the Current Monkeypox Outbreak — The White House and HHS announced a new vaccine strategy to target the growing monkeypox outbreak in the United States.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: May 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from May. Topics include hospital-acquired pneumonia, C. auris, HAIs, dialysis, and antibiotic stewardship.

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New Guidance Released for Preventing Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia — Five organizations – SHEA, IDSA, APIC, AHA, and The Joint Commission – issued new guidance on best practices for preventing hospital-associated pneumonia.

Candida Auris Rapidly Recontaminates Surfaces Around Patients' Beds Despite Cleaning and Disinfection — Research shows that Candida auris (C. auris) recontaminates environmental surfaces within a patient's room within hours despite regular cleaning and disinfection.

Some HAI Incident Increases Continued Into Second Year of COVID-19 — Despite the increase of infection control and prevention protocols throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a study showed that during the first two years of the public health emergency, several health care-acquired infections continued and most increased.

Update to APIC Implementation Guide: Infection Prevention and Control in Dialysis Settings — APIC published an update to its 2010 implementation guide, "Infection Prevention and Control in Dialysis Settings." The 2022 version also includes more information on peritoneal dialysis, home dialysis, special populations, and emergency preparedness.

FDA Authorizes COVID-19 Test That Also Detects Influenza, RSV — FDA granted an EUA to the Labcorp Seasonal Respiratory Virus RT-PCR DTC Test for use without a prescription for people with symptoms of respiratory viral infection consistent with COVID-19. The test can identify and differentiate multiple respiratory viruses at the same time, detecting influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), along with SARS-CoV-2.

Inappropriate Antibiotics for Kids Tied to Adverse Events, Higher Costs — New research suggests the negative consequences of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing in children with common infections aren't limited to antibiotic resistance.

Antimicrobial Stewardship After Patient Discharge Is Lacking — A study noted that more than 50% of antimicrobials prescribed in outpatient settings may be unnecessary.

Interprofessional Collaboration Leads to Sustained Reduction in Hospital-Onset C. Difficile Infections — A study points to ways facilities can substantially reduce the incidence of hospital-onset C. diff infection (HO-CDI).

WHO Launches First Ever Global Report on Infection Prevention and Control — The first global infection control report from WHO has found that when good hand hygiene and other cost-effective practices are followed, healthcare organizations can prevent 70% of infections.

COVID-19 Impact on Antimicrobial Stewardship: Consequences and Silver Linings — Learn some of the negative and positive effects of COVID-19 and its impact on antimicrobial stewardship program workload.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: April 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from April. Topics include CLABSI guidance, FDA endoscope warning, contaminated flexible endoscopes, C. diff, and long COVID.

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New Guidance for Preventing Healthcare-Associated Bloodstream Infections — Five medical societies released recommendations for prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in hospitals. The guidance can be accessed here.

The FDA Issues Urgent Warning About Karl Storz Endoscopes Reprocessing Methods — The FDA issued a letter about the change in reprocessing methods for certain urological endoscopes manufactured by Karl Storz, with the administration warning about the risk of infections associated with cystoscopes, ureteroscopes, cystourethroscopes, and ureterorenoscopes.

CDC Alerts Providers to Hepatitis Cases of Unknown Origin — CDC issued a health alert about a cluster of children identified with hepatitis and adenovirus infection. The agency asked physicians to be on the lookout for symptoms and report suspected cases of hepatitis of unknown origin to their health departments.

Despite Safety Alerts, Contaminated Flexible Endoscopes Continue to Put Patients at Risk — Despite efforts and recent warnings to increase the safety and efficacy of reprocessing endoscopes, a study found that reprocessing practices may not always be sufficient to prevent flexible endoscopes from exposing patients to infectious organisms.

Robust Association Between Antibiotics and C Difficile Infection, Even in Outpatient Settings — A study showed that the risk of a community-acquired C diff infection was substantially higher in outpatients with antibiotic exposure than those without.

In-Use Disinfectant Bucket Identified as Source of Contamination in Hospital — A study found that failure to adhere to recommended disinfection protocols and manufacturer's instructions for use of a hospital-grade disinfectant led to the contamination of high-touch surfaces.

About 30 Percent of COVID Patients Develop 'Long COVID,' Researchers Find — Research found that 3 out of every 10 people treated for COVID-19 developed post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (i.e., "long COVID").

Toolkit for Preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs — AHRQ released a toolkit for preventing CLABSI and CAUTI in ICUs that the agency said was based on the experience of hundreds of ICUs nationwide.