Microbial burden on environmental surfaces in long-term care facilities: a quantitative analysis.

Background: We conducted a quantitative analysis of the microbial burden and prevalence of epidemiologically important pathogens (EIP) found on long-term care facilities (LTCF) environmental surfaces.

Methods: Microbiological samples were collected using Rodac plates (25cm2/plate) from resident rooms and common areas in five LTCFs. EIP were defined as MRSA, VRE, C.

Healthcare Provider N95 Respirator Contamination Worn Behind Face Shields With SARS-CoV-2 During Routine Clinical Care of Patients With COVID-19.

N95 respirator contamination with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during clinical care of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 is poorly understood. We performed a prospective observational study on healthcare provider's (HCP's) N95 respirators' and face shields' SARS-CoV-2 contamination during aerosol-generating procedures on SARS-CoV-2-positive patients housed in a COVID-19-specific unit. Medical masks worn on top of HCP's N95 respirators, and under face shields, during study aerosol-generating procedures were used as surrogates to detect contamination to avoid waste.

The impact of minimally invasive surgical approaches on surgical-site infections.

We performed a literature review to describe the risk of surgical-site infection (SSI) in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) compared to standard open surgery. Most studies reported decreased SSI rates among patients undergoing MIS compared to open procedures. However, many were observational studies and may have been affected by selection bias.

Bacille Calmette-Guérin preparation and intravesical administration to patients with bladder cancer: Risks to healthcare personnel and patients, and mitigation strategies.

Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a standard therapy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer used in urology clinics and inpatient settings. We present a review of infection risks to patients receiving intravesical BCG, healthcare personnel who prepare and administer BCG, and other patients treated in facilities where BCG is prepared and administered. Knowledge of these risks and relevant regulations informs appropriate infection prevention measures.

Infection precaution adherence varies by potential exposure risks to SARS-CoV-2 and job role: Findings from a US medical center.

Background: Infection precautions (IP) facilitate standardized and safe patient care. Research has demonstrated several barriers to IP adherence among health care personnel (HCP) but potential exposure risk to SARS-CoV-2 and job role has not been considered.

Methods: Researchers used self-reported baseline surveys with 191 HCPs at a university medical center to examine factors that may have affected IP adherence (eg, personal protective equipment [PPE] and hand hygiene errors) over the 2 weeks prior to the survey.

Emerging infectious diseases, focus on infection prevention, environmental survival and germicide susceptibility: SARS-CoV-2, Mpox, and Candida auris.

Background: New and emerging infectious diseases continue to represent a public health threat. Emerging infectious disease threats include pathogens increasing in range (eg, Mpox), zoonotic microbes jumping species lines to cause sustained infections in humans via person-to-person transmission (SARS-CoV-2) and multidrug-resistant pathogens (eg, Candida auris).

Materials And Methods: We searched the published English literature and reviewed the selected articles on SARS-CoV-2, Mpox, and Candida auris with a focus on environmental survival, contamination of the patient's hospital environment, susceptibility of the pathogen to antiseptics and disinfectants and infection prevention recommendations.

Evaluation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in home kitchens and bathrooms: Is there a link between home disinfectant use and antibiotic resistance?

Objective: To determine the relationship between home disinfectant use and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance among environmental isolates of human pathogens.

Methods: Bacteria were cultured from 5 kitchen and 5 bathroom sites using quantitative methods. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by standard methods.

Role of the contaminated environment in transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms in nursing homes and infection prevention.

Background: With aging of the population in the United States, there are more people in long-term care facilities than in hospitals. Nursing home residents have a high prevalence of colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). A shared environment with vulnerable patients can facilitate intra- and inter-facility transmission of MDROs.

..úNo touch..Ñ methods for health care room disinfection: Focus on clinical trials.

Background: Hospital patient room surfaces are frequently contaminated with multidrug-resistant organisms. Since studies have demonstrated that inadequate terminal room disinfection commonly occurs, ..

Biofilms on medical instruments and surfaces: Do they interfere with instrument reprocessing and surface disinfection.

Background: Biofilms are surface-attached communities of bacteria embedded in an extracellular matrix. This matrix shields the resident cells from desiccation, chemical perturbation, invasion by other bacteria, and confers reduced susceptibility to antibiotics and disinfectants. There is growing evidence that biofilms on medical instruments (especially endoscopes) and environmental surfaces interfere with cleaning and disinfection.

A helping hand: The impact of a central line insertion support team.

As part of a central line-associated bloodstream infections prevention initiative, our academic medical center formed a dedicated nursing team to assist with central line insertions and provide support with caring for difficult lines and dressings. During the program's first 3 years, the proportion of insertion-related central line-associated bloodstream infections occurring in areas within the team's scope declined overall by 47%.

Standing-up COVID-19 monoclonal antibody infusion centers: Infection prevention and control.

This paper describes the creation of outpatient monoclonal antibody (mAb) infusion centers for COVID-19 patients in a large academic medical center. It shows how the early and consistent partnership between infection prevention and the clinical and operational teams to establish and implement policies and procedures led to efficient and safe workflows.

Methodologic challenges and lessons learned through conducting a hospital-based Salmonella Javiana case-control study.

Objective: Determine the food(s) most likely contaminated by Salmonella Javiana associated with a salmonellosis outbreak involving 2 hospitals in North Carolina that were within 50 miles of each other in November 2021.

Methods: A 2:1 matched case-control study was conducted. Food histories were obtained from hospital food orders and potential confounder covariates were collected from patient medical records.

Assessing compliance of infection prevention mitigation strategies in hospital construction and renovation.

Hospital-associated fungal infections from construction and renovation activities can be mitigated using an infection control risk assessment (ICRA) and implementation of infection prevention measures. The effectiveness of these measures depends on proper installation and maintenance. Consistent infection prevention construction rounding with feedback is key to ongoing compliance.

SHEA/IDSA/APIC Practice Recommendation: Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene: 2022 Update.

The purpose of this document is to highlight practical recommendations to assist acute-care hospitals in prioritization and implementation of strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene. This document updates the , published in 2014. This expert guidance document is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA).

A comparison of methods for microbiologic environmental sampling.

We compared the effectiveness of 4 sampling methods to recover , and from contaminated environmental surfaces: cotton swabs, RODAC culture plates, sponge sticks with manual agitation, and sponge sticks with a stomacher. Organism type was the most important factor in bacterial recovery.

Sustainability of a well-established hand hygiene program during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Overall, engagement and compliance from the crowd-sourced hand hygiene observation program, Clean-In-Clean-Out (CICO), were similar between 2019 (96.6%) and 2020 (96.7%) despite fluctuations within 2020 that reflected our hospital's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience.

Creation and impact of containment units with high-risk zones during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Background: The rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) required swift preparation to protect healthcare personnel (HCP) and patients, especially considering shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE). Due to the lack of a pre-existing biocontainment unit, we needed to develop a novel approach to placing patients in isolation cohorts while working with the pre-existing physical space.

Objectives: To prevent disease transmission to non-COVID-19 patients and HCP caring for COVID-19 patients, to optimize PPE usage, and to provide a comfortable and safe working environment.

The impact of a comprehensive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection prevention bundle on non-COVID-19 hospital-acquired respiratory viral infection (HA-RVI) rates.

After implementing a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection prevention bundle, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of non-severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (non-SARS-CoV-2) hospital-acquired respiratory viral infection (HA-RVI) was significantly lower than the IRR from the pre-COVID-19 period (IRR, 0.322; 95% CI, 0.266-0.