Assessment of co-resistance to antibiotics recommended for acute pyelonephritis among Escherichia coli clinical strains from community- and nursing home-acquired urinary tract infections.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the frequency of co-resistance to antibiotics recommended in acute pyelonephritis among Escherichia coli clinical strains isolated from urinary tract infections (UTIs) acquired in community or nursing homes (NHs), and to identify situations without alternatives to fluoroquinolones (FQs).

Methods: All antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results of E. coli culture-positive urine samples from females living in the community or in NHs, collected through a large network of clinical laboratories in 2020 in France, were included.

Implementation of a Clinical Decision Support System for Antimicrobial Prescribing in Sub-Saharan Africa: Multisectoral Qualitative Study.

Background: Suboptimal use of antimicrobials is a driver of antimicrobial resistance in West Africa. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) can facilitate access to updated and reliable recommendations.

Objective: This study aimed to assess contextual factors that could facilitate the implementation of a CDSS for antimicrobial prescribing in West Africa and Central Africa and to identify tailored implementation strategies.

Healthcare as a driver, reservoir and amplifier of antimicrobial resistance: opportunities for interventions.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health challenge that threatens humans, animals and the environment. Evidence is emerging for a role of healthcare infrastructure, environments and patient pathways in promoting and maintaining AMR via direct and indirect mechanisms. Advances in vaccination and monoclonal antibody therapies together with integrated surveillance, rapid diagnostics, targeted antimicrobial therapy and infection control measures offer opportunities to address healthcare-associated AMR risks more effectively.

Assessment of implementation strategies adopted for antimicrobial stewardship interventions in long-term care facilities: a systematic review.

Background: The implementation of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is influenced by multi-level factors (resident, organizational, and external) making their effectiveness sensitive to the implementation context.

Objectives: This study assessed the strategies adopted for the implementation of AMS interventions in LTCFs, whether they considered organizational characteristics, and their effectiveness.

Data Sources: Electronic databases until April 2022.

Erratum: Considerations for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers - CORRIGENDUM.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1017/ash.2023.

Improving care safety by characterizing task interruptions during interactions between healthcare professionals: an observational study.

Few studies have investigated interruptions to the work of professionals practicing in inpatient hospitals, and even fewer take account of the functions that make up the system. Safety of care can be improved by considering avoidable interruptions during interactions between managerial and care delivery functions. The present study describes the characteristics of interruptions to the work of professionals working in the inpatient hospital sector, with respect to their typology, frequency, duration, and avoidability in the context of interactions between functions.

Considerations for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers.

Three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, better knowledge on the transmission of respiratory viral infections (RVI) including the contribution of asymptomatic infections encouraged most healthcare centers to implement universal masking. The evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology and improved immunization of the population call for the infection and prevention control community to revisit the masking strategy in healthcare. In this narrative review, we consider factors for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers, addressing compliance with the mask policy, local epidemiology, the level of protection provided by medical face masks, the consequences of absenteeism and presenteeism, as well as logistics, costs, and ecological impact.

Revisiting the personal protective equipment components of transmission-based precautions for the prevention of COVID-19 and other respiratory virus infections in healthcare.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some potential limitations of transmission-based precautions. The distinction between transmission through large droplets vs aerosols, which have been fundamental concepts guiding infection control measures, has been questioned, leading to considerable variation in expert recommendations on transmission-based precautions for COVID-19. Furthermore, the application of elements of contact precautions, such as the use of gloves and gowns, is based on low-quality and inconclusive evidence and may have unintended consequences, such as increased incidence of healthcare-associated infections and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms.

Qualitative assessment of the national initiative to implement antimicrobial stewardship centres in French administrative regions.

Background: In May 2020, the French Ministry of Health funded the creation of regional antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) coordination centres (CRAtb) in preparation for the new national framework for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to assess through qualitative methods the implementation process, the activities carried out, and the interactions with other regional stakeholders of the newly created CRAtb.

Methods: We conducted a mixed-method study based on a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews by French regions among implemented CRAtb.

Expert consensus on monitoring antimicrobial stewardship in French nursing homes using assessed reimbursement database indicators.

Objectives: Monitoring the appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions with indicators based on reimbursement data is required to guide antibiotic stewardship (AMS) interventions in nursing homes (NHs). Quantity metrics (QMs) monitor the volume of prescriptions while proxy indicators (PIs) reflect the appropriateness of antibiotic use. Our objectives were: (i) to provide a relevant consensual set of indicators to be used in French NHs; and (ii) to assess the feasibility of their implementation at the national and local scale.

Innovation for infection prevention and control-revisiting Pasteur's vision.

Louis Pasteur has long been heralded as one of the fathers of microbiology and immunology. Less known is Pasteur's vision on infection prevention and control (IPC) that drove current infection control, public health, and much of modern medicine and surgery. In this Review, we revisited Pasteur's pioneering works to assess progress and challenges in the process and technological innovation of IPC.

An evaluation of the implementation of interventions to reduce postoperative infections and optimise antibiotic use across the surgical pathway in India: a mixed-methods exploratory study protocol.

Introduction: Postoperative infections represent a significant burden of disease, demanding antibiotic prescriptions, and are contributing to antimicrobial resistance. The burden of infection as a surgical complication is greater in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We report the protocol of a pilot study for the co-design, implementation and evaluation of two infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions across the surgical pathway in a teaching hospital in India.

Cross-site collaboration on infection prevention and control research-room for improvement? A 7-year comparative study in five European countries.

Background: The spread of SARS-CoV-2, multidrug-resistant organisms and other healthcare-associated pathogens represents supra-regional challenges for infection prevention and control (IPC) specialists in every European country. To tackle these problems, cross-site research collaboration of IPC specialists is very important. This study assesses the extent and quality of national research collaborations of IPC departments of university hospitals located in Austria, England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, identifies network gaps, and provides potential solutions.

Assessment of Factors Associated With Community-Acquired Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Urinary Tract Infections in France.

Importance: Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli is considered a leading pathogen contributing to the global burden of antimicrobial resistance.

Objective: To better understand factors associated with the heterogeneity of community-acquired ESBL-producing E coli urinary tract infections (UTIs) in France.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study performed from January 1 to December 31, 2021, was based on data collected via PRIMO (Surveillance and Prevention of Antimicrobial Resistance in Primary Care and Nursing Homes), a nationwide clinical laboratory surveillance system in France.

Cost-effectiveness of strategies to control the spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in hospitals: a modelling study.

Background: Spread of resistant bacteria causes severe morbidity and mortality. Stringent control measures can be expensive and disrupt hospital organization. In the present study, we assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of control strategies to prevent the spread of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in a general hospital ward (GW).

Evaluation of the French surveillance system for epidemiological surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in the community and nursing homes.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been widely recognized as a major public health issue, which can be addressed through effective AMR surveillance systems. In 2018, a national surveillance programme for AMR in the community and nursing homes called Mission PRIMO was established in France. It builds on an existing network called MedQual-Ville that had been monitoring AMR mainly in the west of France community since 2003.

SARS-CoV-2 exposures of healthcare workers from primary care, long-term care facilities and hospitals: a nationwide matched case-control study.

Objectives: This study assessed the roles of various exposures and personal protective equipment (PPE) use on healthcare workers' (HCWs) risk of COVID-19 working in primary care, long-term-care facilities or hospitals.

Methods: We conducted a matched case-control (1:1) study (10 April through 9 July 2021). Cases (HCWs with confirmed COVID-19) and controls (HCWs without any COVID-19-positive test or symptoms) were invited by E-mail to complete an online questionnaire on their exposures and PPE use over the 10-day period preceding inclusion.

Interventional research to tackle antimicrobial resistance in Low Middle Income Countries in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons in resilience from an international consortium.

This article summarizes the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, on an international project to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The research leadership and process, the access to data, and stakeholders were deeply disrupted by the national and international response to the pandemic, including the interruption of healthcare delivery, lockdowns, and quarantines. The key principles to deliver the research through the pandemic were mainly the high degree of interdisciplinary engagement with integrated teams, and equitable partnership across sites with capacity building and leadership training.

Decreasing proportion of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase among E. coli infections during the COVID-19 pandemic in France.

Objectives: We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 and national pandemic response on the epidemiology of Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase producing E. coli (ESBL-E.coli) in France.