A mixed-methods study assessing the performance of a clinical decision support tool for testing for patients receiving laxatives.

Objective: To better understand clinicians' rationale for ordering testing for infection (CDI) for patients receiving laxatives and the impact of the implementation of a clinical decision support (CDS) intervention.

Design: A mixed-methods, case series was performed from March 2, 2017 to December 31, 2018.

Setting: Yale New Haven Hospital, a 1,541 bed tertiary academic medical center.

Detection of Pneumococcal Carriage in Asymptomatic Healthcare Workers.

Background: Healthcare workers are at increased risk of exposure to respiratory pathogens including (pneumococcus). While little asymptomatic carriage has been reported in young-to-middle-aged adults, this may be due to nonsensitive diagnostic methods. The aim of the current study was to investigate the rates of pneumococcal carriage in a large cohort of healthcare workers, using saliva as a respiratory specimen.

Social mixing patterns of United States healthcare personnel at a quaternary health center: a prospective observational study.

Background: Understanding healthcare personnel's (HCP) contact patterns are important to mitigate healthcare-associated infectious disease transmission. Little is known about how HCP contact patterns change over time or during outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This study in a large United States healthcare system examined the social contact patterns of HCP via standardized social contact diaries.

Improving cefazolin administration for surgical prophylaxis in reported penicillin allergy: A retrospective study of a health system intervention.

Background: Cefazolin is the most common first-line antibiotic to prevent surgical-site infections. Patients with penicillin allergy labels often receive alternative antibiotics, which is associated with increased rates of surgical-site infections, multi-drug-resistant infections, and cost.

Objective: We sought to determine whether a hospital-wide guideline recommending first-line surgical prophylaxis in patients with penicillin allergy labels can increase the use of cefazolin without compromising safety.

Barriers to Effective Infection Prevention in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Infection prevention (IP) behaviors such as hand hygiene (HH) and mobile device disinfection are important to reduce the risk of infection transmission from both family members and hospital staff to critically ill neonates.

Purpose: To inform the design of educational interventions to improve both patient family and staff IP behaviors, we engaged separate groups of nurses and family members to understand perceptions about the spread of infection and barriers to implementing effective IP strategies.

Methods: This was a qualitative study using focus groups to gather data from neonatal nurses and patient family members.

Pseudo-outbreak of Parengyodontium album related to contaminated saline used in specimen processing in the microbiology laboratory.

We report a cluster of 9 isolates of Parengyodontium album recovered from 4 patients who had surgical tissue specimens processed after dilution with a multiuse diluent saline solution. P album was also identified from a nonclinical sample on agar prepared with the same lot number of saline solution. Our epidemiological investigation revealed this to represent a pseudo-outbreak related to contaminated saline used to process specimens in the microbiology laboratory.

Characterizing healthcare personnel attitudes toward receipt of a voluntary bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine during a COVID-19 outbreak at a behavioral health hospital in Connecticut.

COVID-19 vaccine uptake in healthcare personnel (HCP) is poor. A cross-sectional survey study of behavioral health HCP was performed. Commonly identified reasons for vaccination were protecting others and oneself.

A Longitudinal Multiinstitutional Study of Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus: From Childhood to Perimenopause.

Objective: The main outcome of this study was the evaluation of clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and therapeutic approaches in patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) aged from childhood to perimenopause. Secondly, it was intended to compare these characteristics according to the menarchal status.

Methods: Patients less than 45 years of age with a diagnosis of VLS from January 2002 to June 2022 in 10 referral centers were included in this retrospective longitudinal study.

Disinfection of central venous access device needleless connectors: A human factors analysis.

Objective: Evidence-based central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) prevention guidelines recommend the use of an antiseptic scrub to disinfect needleless connectors before device access. Guideline noncompliance may render disinfection ineffective. The goal of this study was to observe needleless-connector disinfection practices and to identify perceived facilitators and barriers to best practices of needleless-connector access.

Concurrent Endometrial Cancer in Women with Atypical Endometrial Hyperplasia: What Is the Predictive Value of Patient Characteristics?

Background: The rate of concurrent endometrial cancer (EC) in atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) can be as high as 40%. Some patient characteristics showed associations with this occurrence. However, their real predictive power with related validation has yet to be discovered.

Primary neuroendocrine neoplasms of the vulva: A review of the MITO rare cancer group.

Gynecological neuroendocrine neoplasms are rare entities and can be divided into two groups: carcinoids and neuroendocrine carcinomas. Due to their rarity their management is not standardized. The aim of this work is to summarize and discuss the current literature evidence on this pathology.

Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) with cisplatin and doxorubicin in patients with ovarian cancer: A systematic review.

Background: PIPAC consists in delivering normothermic chemotherapy solution directly into the peritoneal cavity as an aerosol under pressure. Currently PIPAC is considered as a palliative treatment for patients suffering from non-resectable peritoneal carcinomatosis. We performed a SR to assess tolerance and response of this novel method among patient with OC.

Severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA and viable virus contamination of hospital emergency department surfaces and association with patient coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) status and aerosol-generating procedures.

Emergency departments are high-risk settings for severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) surface contamination. Environmental surface samples were obtained in rooms with patients suspected of having COVID-19 who did or did not undergo aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs). SARS-CoV-2 RNA surface contamination was most frequent in rooms occupied by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who received no AGPs.

At the vanguard: Leaders' perspectives on establishing healthcare system infection prevention programs.

Hospitals are increasingly consolidating into health systems. Some systems have appointed healthcare epidemiologists to lead system-level infection prevention programs. Ideal program infrastructure and support resources have not been described.

Air exchanges, climate change, and severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): Results from a survey of the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America Research Network (SRN).

In this cross-sectional survey, we assessed knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding operating room air-change rates, climate change, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic implications. Climate change and healthcare pollution were considered problematic. Respondents checked air exchange rates for COVID-19 and ∼25% increased them.

Disinfection of Virtual Reality Devices in Health Care Settings: In Vitro Assessment and Survey Study.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) devices are increasingly used in health care settings. The use among patients has the potential to unintentionally transmit pathogens between patients and hospital staff. No standard operating procedure for disinfection exists to ensure safe use between patients.

Pilot study of using thermal imaging to assess hand hygiene technique.

Background: Currently, there is no standard method for assessing hand hygiene (HH) technique. We explored the use of thermal imaging to determine if alcohol-based sanitizer (ABHS) has been applied to fingertips and thumbs, areas often missed by healthcare personnel.

Methods: A FLIR thermal camera attached to an iPhone with FLIR app was used to obtain thermal images of volunteers' dominant hand before and after performing HH with an ABHS.

Influence of uterine manipulator on oncological outcome in minimally invasive surgery of endometrial cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: The endoscopic approach for early-stage endometrial cancer (EC) treatment is considered gold standard. Some authors expressed their concern regarding uterine manipulator (UM) as a risk factor for tumor spillage and dissemination allowing peritoneal or lympho-vascular spaces invasion (LVSI). This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of UM on the presence of LVSI, recurrence rate and presence of atypical or malignant peritoneal cytology in patients with endometrial cancer.