Q&A: What You Need to Know About CMS’ Antimicrobial Stewardship Rule
CMS released revised Conditions of Participation for hospitals and critical access hospitals that require the development and implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs to help reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance. The rule, first proposed by CMS in 2016, also finalized requirements for nursing facilities to have a stewardship program.
BD Launches Fully Sterile Surgical Skin Preparation
Skin antiseptic products are used to reduce bacterial burden on skin prior to performing invasive medical procedures, such as injections or surgical incisions. In this role, skin antiseptics, including alcohol, iodine, and chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), are part of the frontline in infection control. [i],[ii],[iii],[iv],[v] As our understanding of factors leading to infection has evolved, so … Continued
Touching Eyes: Disinfecting Ophthalmology Devices
Despite the infection dangers, The Joint Commission’s advisory says that healthcare workers are often unaware of disinfection requirements or misinterpret manufacturer instructions for cleaning. Many people use the wrong type of cleaners on ophthalmology devices.
Asymptomatic Carriers of C. Diff May Be Significant Source of Infection at Hospitals
Hospitals have focused on reducing transmission of C. diff from symptomatic patients. However, the new study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found asymptomatic carriers of C. diff spores are at significant risk of progression to symptomatic C. diff infection.
Report: Antibiotic Resistance More Prevalent in Device-Associated Infections
The report compiled data from more than 5,600 facilities from 2015 to 2017 and found that resistance was consistently higher for device-associated healthcare-acquired infections than for the same bacteria identified after surgical procedures. The devices studied were those used for a limited time in a hospital setting such as central lines, ventilators, and urinary catheters.
Indiana Hospital: Sterilization Issue Put 1,200 Patients at Risk of Infection
The hospital sent a letter to affected patients, announcing that one of the hospital’s seven surgical instrument sterilization technicians failed to complete one of the steps required in the sterilization process with certain instruments.
Use Data Transparency With IC Outcomes to Engage Staff
A non-intensive care nurse takes care of five or six patients at a time. Add a few discharges and admissions, and that nurse will touch more than 20 patients in a workweek. Infection prevention and quality department surveillance and data abstractions are usually deferred by some weeks.
CDC: Antibiotic-Resistant Infection Problem Is Worse Than Originally Thought
Since the original report six years ago, prevention efforts have reduced deaths from AR infections by 18% overall and nearly 30% in hospitals. But the increased number of infections in this new report was found by using previously unavailable data sources.
SHEA: More Research Needed on Antibiotic Use
Antibiotic stewardship programs have become powerful tools to address inappropriate antibiotic use, but they haven’t been used to their full potential yet, according to the paper’s authors.
APIC Study Finds Infection Control Certification Leads to Better Outcomes
Researchers at Columbia University School of Nursing conducted a national study of more than 800 nursing homes in 2018 to evaluate the effectiveness of antibiotic stewardship programs.