Reduction of airborne and surface-borne bacteria in a medical center burn intensive care unit using active, upper-room, germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) disinfection.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of active, upper-room, germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) devices in reducing bacterial contamination in patient rooms in air and on surfaces as a supplement to the central heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) air handling unit (AHU) with MERV 14 filters and UV-C disinfection.

Methods: This study was conducted in an academic medical center, burn intensive care unit (BICU), for 4 months in 2022. Room occupancy was monitored and recorded.

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).

Mitigating hospital-onset : The impact of an optimized environmental hygiene program in eight hospitals.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a standardized, process-validated intervention utilizing daily hospital-wide patient-zone sporicidal disinfectant cleaning on incidence density of healthcare-onset infection (HO-CDI) standardized infection ratios (SIRs).

Design: Multi-site, quasi-experimental study, with control hospitals and a nonequivalent dependent variable.

Setting: The study was conducted across 8 acute-care hospitals in 6 states with stable endemic HO-CDI SIRs.

Reimagining Construction and Renovation of Health Care Facilities During Emergence from a Pandemic.

The built environment has been integral to response to the global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In particular, engineering controls to mitigate risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and other newly emergent respiratory pathogens in the future will be important. Anticipating emergence from this pandemic, or at least adaptation given increasing administration of effective vaccines, and the safety of patients, personnel, and others in health care facilities remain the core goals.

Quantitative Results of a National Intervention to Prevent Hospital-Onset Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infection: A Pre-Post Observational Study.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains one of the most common causes of health care-associated infection (HAI).

Objective: To evaluate the effect of education and a tiered, evidence-based infection prevention strategy on rates of hospital-onset MRSA bloodstream infection (BSI).

Design: Prospective, national, nonrandomized, interventional, 12-month, multiple cohort, pre-post observational quality improvement project.

Quantitative Results of a National Intervention to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection: A Pre-Post Observational Study.

Background: Many hospitals struggle to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI).

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a multimodal initiative on CAUTI in hospitals with high burden of health care-associated infection (HAI).

Design: Prospective, national, nonrandomized, clustered, externally facilitated, pre-post observational quality improvement initiative, for 3 cohorts active between November 2016 and May 2018.

Germicidal irradiation of portable medical equipment: Mitigating microbes and improving the margin of safety using a novel, point of care, germicidal disinfection pod.

Portable medical equipment (PME) can be an important reservoir of pathogens causing health care-associated infections. To address this, a novel, portable ultraviolet disinfection pod (UVDP) that allows for full 360-degree disinfection was developed. This investigation examined efficacy of the UVDP against microorganisms on clean, patient-ready PME.

Identifying safe practices for use of the urinary leg bag drainage system in the postacute and long-term care setting: An integrative review.

Background: In the postacute and long-term care setting, the practice of changing the indwelling urinary catheter large sterile drainage bag to a small-size leg drainage bag is intended to maintain a person's mobility, dignity, and comfort. There is scant evidence that assesses the impact of intermittent use of a leg bag on frequency of urinary tract infection since this breaks the closed urinary drainage system.

Methods: We reviewed research published between 1993 and 2014 for the answers to 20 practice questions developed by experts and long-term care clinicians on the risks and benefits, cleaning, connection, and storage of reusable leg bags.

Creation of a competency-based professional development program for infection preventionists guided by the APIC Competency Model: steps in the process.

Background: Infection Preventionists have varying levels of educational preparation. Many have no prior experience in IP. The diversity makes design of professional development programs challenging.

A microbiological study to investigate the carriage and transmission-potential of Clostridium difficile spores on single-use and reusable sharps containers.

Background: A 2015 study matching use of disposable and reusable sharps containers (DSCs, RSCs) with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) incidence found a decreased incidence with DSCs. We conducted microbiologic samplings and examined the literature and disease-transmission principles to evaluate the scientific feasibility of such an association.

Methods: (i) 197 RSCs were sampled for C.

A National Implementation Project to Prevent Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection in Nursing Home Residents.

Importance: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (UTI) in nursing home residents is a common cause of sepsis, hospital admission, and antimicrobial use leading to colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms.

Objective: To develop, implement, and evaluate an intervention to reduce catheter-associated UTI.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A large-scale prospective implementation project was conducted in community-based nursing homes participating in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Safety Program for Long-Term Care.

Making infection prevention education interactive can enhance knowledge and improve outcomes: Results from the Targeted Infection Prevention (TIP) Study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess effectiveness of an interactive educational program in increasing knowledge of key infection prevention and control (IPC) principles with emphasis on indwelling device care, hand hygiene, and multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) among nursing home (NH) health care personnel (HCP).

Methods: We conducted a multimodal randomized controlled study involving HCP at 12 NHs. Ten comprehensive and interactive modules covered common IPC topics.

Prevention by Design: Construction and Renovation of Health Care Facilities for Patient Safety and Infection Prevention.

The built environment supports the safe care of patients in health care facilities. Infection preventionists and health care epidemiologists have expertise in prevention and control of health care-associated infections (HAIs) and assist with designing and constructing facilities to prevent HAIs. However, design elements are often missing from initial concepts.

Evaluation of the association between Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) measures and catheter-associated infections: results of two national collaboratives.

Background: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has funded national collaboratives using the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program to reduce rates of two catheter-associated infections-central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), using evidence-based intervention bundles to improve technical aspects of care and socioadaptive approaches to foster a culture of safety.

Objective: Examine the association between hospital units' results for the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) and catheter-associated infection rates.

Methods: We analysed data from two prospective cohort studies from acute-care intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICUs participating in the AHRQ CLABSI and CAUTI collaboratives.

Beyond Infection: Device Utilization Ratio as a Performance Measure for Urinary Catheter Harm.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is considered a reasonably preventable event in the hospital setting, and it has been included in the US Department of Health and Human Services National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections. While multiple definitions for measuring CAUTI exist, each has important limitations, and understanding these limitations is important to both clinical practice and policy decisions. The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance definition, the most frequently used outcome measure for CAUTI prevention efforts, has limited clinical correlation and does not necessarily reflect noninfectious harms related to the catheter.

Necessary Infrastructure of Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology Programs: A Review.

The scope of a healthcare institution's infection prevention and control/healthcare epidemiology program (IPC/HE) should be driven by the size and complexity of the patient population served, that population's risk for healthcare-associated infection (HAI), and local, state, and national regulatory and accreditation requirements. Essential activities of all IPC/HE programs include but are not limited to the following: ∙ Surveillance.∙ Performance improvement to reduce HAI ∙ Acute event response, including outbreak investigation ∙ Education and training of both healthcare personnel and patients ∙ Reporting of HAI to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network as well as entities required by law.

A targeted infection prevention intervention in nursing home residents with indwelling devices: a randomized clinical trial.

Importance: Indwelling devices (eg, urinary catheters and feeding tubes) are often used in nursing homes (NHs). Inadequate care of residents with these devices contributes to high rates of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and device-related infections in NHs.

Objective: To test whether a multimodal targeted infection program (TIP) reduces the prevalence of MDROs and incident device-related infections.

Spinal and paraspinal fungal infections associated with contaminated methylprednisolone injections.

Background: A nationwide outbreak of fungal infections was traced to injection of Exserohilum-contaminated methylprednisolone. We describe our experience with patients who developed spinal or paraspinal infection after injection of contaminated methylprednisolone.

Methods: Data were assembled from the Michigan Department of Community Health, electronic medical records, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reports.

The Interdisciplinary Academy for Coaching and Teamwork (I-ACT): A novel approach for training faculty experts in preventing healthcare-associated infection.

Background: The Interdisciplinary Academy for Coaching and Teamwork (I-ACT) was an advanced course aimed at educating leaders of a quality improvement project on addressing clinical challenges associated with catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), overcoming socioadaptive issues among a multidisciplinary team, and effective coaching.

Methods: The I-ACT course provided substantial opportunities for interaction among participants and faculty experts through role playing. Participants were grouped so that each discipline of a potential CAUTI improvement team was represented during interactive components of the training.