How ICCS Consultants Are Helping Organizations Nationwide

The ICCS team of expert consultants has been keeping busy this year, helping facilities nationwide improve their infection prevention and control efforts and compliance. Below is a summary of some of the most common ways we've supported organizations during 2022. If your organization would benefit from these or other services, please reach out and schedule a consultation.     

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Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC)

• Conduct onsite visits to evaluate infection prevention "best practices" in the perioperative setting

• Conduct sterile processing competencies

• Assist with corrective action plans for accreditation organization or federal/state survey deficiencies

• Provide infection prevention education programs for perioperative personnel

• Assist with preparation for accreditation surveys

• Develop written programs/plans as per state, federal and accreditation organization requirements

• Assist with COVID-19 protocols and ongoing updates

Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)

• Conduct onsite visits to evaluate infection prevention "best practices"

• Review dental services including operatory rounding and instrument sterilization/reprocessing

• Assist with preparation for accreditation surveys

• Assist with remediation of accreditation or state surveys (plan of correction)

• Develop written plan as per state, federal and accreditation organization requirements

• Assist with COVID-19 protocols and ongoing updates

State Health Associations

• TeamSTEPPS (evidence-based teamwork tools for healthcare professionals optimizing patient outcomes) training for frontline staff

• Project Firstline (provides innovative and accessible infection control education for all frontline healthcare workers) training for frontline staff

• Assist with COVID-19 protocols and ongoing updates

Acute Care Hospitals

• Assist with preparation for accreditation surveys

• Conduct a gap analysis of infection prevention program

• Onboarding services for novice infection preventionists

• Assist with COVID-19 protocols and ongoing updates

Behavioral Health Hospitals

• Assist with preparation for accreditation surveys

• Develop written programs as per state, federal and accreditation organization requirements

• Assist with COVID-19 protocols and ongoing updates

Long-Term Care Facilities

• Assist long-term care facilities with survey deficiencies including directed plan of correction remediation per F-Tag 880

• Onsite and offsite support as per state and/or federal requirements

• Assist with COVID-19 protocols and ongoing updates

Dental Practices

• Conduct onsite visits to evaluate infection prevention "best practices" in the dental setting

• Provide education for instrument reprocessing/sterilization technicians

• Conduct sterile processing competencies

• Develop infection prevention written plans

• Assist with COVID-19 protocols and ongoing updates

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: September 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from September. Topics include flexible endoscope processing guidelines, CMS oversight, masking, influenza, fungal infections, and fecal transplantation.

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4 Major Updates to Improve Flexible Endoscope Safety — AORN revised its "Guideline for Processing Flexible Endoscopes."

COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: CMS Needs to Continue to Strengthen Oversight of Infection Prevention and Control — The US Government Accountability Office called on CMS to further strengthen infection prevention and control guidance and oversight of the infection preventionist role for nursing homes.

Lessons Learned in COVID-19: SHEA Offers Guidance for Antibiotic Use in a Pandemic — The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America published a statement on strategies to improve antibiotic use and stewardship during infectious disease pandemics and outbreaks.

As Masks Are Shed, a Routine Visit to a Medical Office Can Pose COVID Risks for Some Patients — This STAT article discussed how high-risk individuals are increasingly anxious about contracting COVID while accessing necessary routine healthcare. The ICCS team continues to recommend universal masking in patient care areas.

Flu Is Already Here and Doctors Are Bracing for a High Number of Infections This Year — The flu season started early in the US, with cases rising two months before influenza season typically begins.

Lancet Commission on COVID-19 Response: 'Massive Global Failure' — The Lancet COVID-19 Commission issued a scathing report about the international COVID-19 pandemic response. The report identifies 10 key failures that helped contribute to the millions of deaths attributable to the infectious disease.

Fungal Infections Increase Mortality Among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Worldwide — Research revealed that we're currently seeing more deaths caused by fungal diseases than malaria and tuberculosis together.

US Healthcare Workers More Emotionally Exhausted Amid Pandemic — The results of this survey may come as no surprise, but that doesn't make them any less significant. As ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, FAPIC, stated, "It's imperative that we acknowledge how these past few years have affected healthcare workers and take whatever steps are necessary to support our teams and mitigate staff and patient risks."

CDC Endorses Updated COVID Boosters, Shots to Begin Soon — CDC endorsed updated COIVD-19 boosters at the beginning of the month.

Fecal Transplantation Shown to be an Effective Remedy for Life-Threatening Intestinal Infections — Research revealed that fecal transplantation in the intestine is far superior to today's standard treatment for C. diff.

No Catheter. No CAUTI: Urine Management with External Catheters — An Infection Control Today column explored alternatives to indwelling catheters for managing urinary incontinence.

The Role of Pharmacists in the World of Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship — This Contagion column brought attention to the important role pharmacists can and should play in combatting antimicrobial resistance and supporting antimicrobial stewardship.

Impact of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program on Hospital-Acquired Candidemia — Research on antibiotic stewardship and candidemia showed that a reduction in broad-spectrum antibiotic administration (especially carbapenem) reduced the incidence rate of hospital-acquired candidemia in an acute tertiary care hospital.

ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter: August 2022

This issue covers some of the most significant news from August. Topics include instrument reprocessing, food service hygiene, long-COVID, myocarditis and superbugs.

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Is That Instrument Safe To Use On A Patient? — ICCS team members continue to stress the risks associated with improper reprocessing of instruments and medical devices. We cannot emphasize enough the need to follow manufacturer instructions/instructions for use (IFUs). Our deficiency findings during onsite visits are often the result of failure to follow the instructions. If IFUs are unavailable, items should not be used unless nationally recognized guidelines (e.g., AAMI ST79, AAMI ST91) are explicit enough to reprocess effectively.

Infection Prevention Is Key in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit — A good two-part series in discussing infection prevention in the NICU from a physician and infection preventionist perspective.

What's in Your Hospital's Kitchen? The Basics of Food Service Hygiene — As ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, FAPIC, stated about this article, "As we enter a period of returning to pre-pandemic practice with the "new normal" in the forefront of our minds, it is important to remember that there are other 'issues' lurking in the background that were very much in the forefront prior to March 2020. Food service hygiene has always been a passion of mine when consulting for inpatient facilities. There are so many steps necessary to ensure safe food handling and serving our patients."

Most Reliable Estimates to Date Suggest 1 in 8 COVID-19 Patients Develop Long-COVID Symptoms — When analyzing COVID-19 infections, stats and talking points typically focus on cases, hospitalizations and deaths. But it's quite apparent more attention must be paid to long-COVID.

COVID-19 Infection Poses Higher Risk for Myocarditis Than Vaccines — New myocarditis study findings published in Circulation.

Safety Alert Regarding Use of Fecal Microbiota for Transplantation and Additional Safety Protections Pertaining to Monkeypox Virus — Possible challenge for refractory C. difficile patients who are highly dependent on fecal microbiota transfusion (FMT).

CDC Study Highlights Community Spread of Superbugs — U.S. surveillance data indicate infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens are moving beyond the healthcare setting.

New Method of Nasal Vaccine Delivery Could Lead to Better Vaccines for HIV and COVID-19 — Researchers have developed a way to effectively deliver vaccines through mucosal tissues in the nose.