Candida auris outbreak at a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Candida auris (C auris) is a fungal pathogen that has the potential for environmental persistence leading to outbreaks in health care settings. There has been a worldwide surge in C auris outbreaks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this report, we describe an outbreak of C auris, its control, patient outcomes, and lessons learned.

Etiology and utility of hospital-onset bacteremia as a safety metric for targeted harm reduction.

Background: Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are a major driver of morbidity and cost in health systems. Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) require intensive surveillance and review. All-cause hospital-onset bacteremia (HOB) may be a simpler reporting metric, correlates with CLABSI, and is viewed positively by HAI experts.

Dimensional and social comparisons in a health fitness context.

Whereas prior research has found that people are influenced by both internal (e.g., dimensional) and external (e.

Two-step algorithm-based Clostridioides difficile testing as a tool for antibiotic stewardship.

Objectives: Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) can be challenging due to high colonization rates. Unlike PCR-only testing, two-step algorithm testing (that includes toxin and PCR) may help differentiate colonization from active infection, but it is unknown if this type of testing impacts treatment decisions. We examined the association between changing CDI diagnostic methods, the way the testing results were displayed, and the rates of CDI-specific treatment.