Pub Date : 2024-04-14DOI: 10.1177/17571774241245260
Olivia Pluss, Stephen Berman, Molly Lamb, Vijaya Knight, Yannik E. Roell, Steven Berkowitz, Thomas Jaenisch
Health care workers (HCWs) are front line responders to the COVID-19 pandemic, but limited data is available for pediatric HCWs, as the research response has largely focused on adult patients and medical personnel that treat these patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and risk factors in HCWs at a Children’s Hospital in CO, USA from September 2020 to April 2021. Pediatric HCWs were defined as clinical care providers and administrative staff. Seroprevalence was determined using the Epitope SARS-CoV-2 anti-Nucleocapsid IgG assay (San Diego, CA) and the Euroimmun SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike Protein IgG assay. Risk factors and vaccination status were assessed via questionnaire. Overall, 110 HCWs were enrolled, 79 subjects were positive for anti-S antibodies and negative for anti-N antibodies, indicating COVID-19 vaccination. 31 subjects had neither anti-N or anti-S antibodies, indicating no exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and no vaccination. 3/110 had a nucleocapsid serology consistent with a SARS-CoV-2 prior infection. Seroprevalence was observed at 2.7%. It was noted that asthma requiring medication was associated with positive serostatus. During the winter 2020/21, SARS-CoV-2, we found a 2.7% seroprevalence of pediatric HCW at a children’s hospital in Colorado. We compared this with publicly available seroprevalence data for seroprevalence rates of pediatric HCWs globally. This suggests that this specific children’s hospital COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control guidelines were effective in limiting SARS-CoV-2 in hospital transmission at the children’s hospital prior to the presence of the Delta variant.
{"title":"SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence screening study of a children’s hospital health care workers","authors":"Olivia Pluss, Stephen Berman, Molly Lamb, Vijaya Knight, Yannik E. Roell, Steven Berkowitz, Thomas Jaenisch","doi":"10.1177/17571774241245260","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241245260","url":null,"abstract":"Health care workers (HCWs) are front line responders to the COVID-19 pandemic, but limited data is available for pediatric HCWs, as the research response has largely focused on adult patients and medical personnel that treat these patients. We conducted a cross-sectional study of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and risk factors in HCWs at a Children’s Hospital in CO, USA from September 2020 to April 2021. Pediatric HCWs were defined as clinical care providers and administrative staff. Seroprevalence was determined using the Epitope SARS-CoV-2 anti-Nucleocapsid IgG assay (San Diego, CA) and the Euroimmun SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike Protein IgG assay. Risk factors and vaccination status were assessed via questionnaire. Overall, 110 HCWs were enrolled, 79 subjects were positive for anti-S antibodies and negative for anti-N antibodies, indicating COVID-19 vaccination. 31 subjects had neither anti-N or anti-S antibodies, indicating no exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and no vaccination. 3/110 had a nucleocapsid serology consistent with a SARS-CoV-2 prior infection. Seroprevalence was observed at 2.7%. It was noted that asthma requiring medication was associated with positive serostatus. During the winter 2020/21, SARS-CoV-2, we found a 2.7% seroprevalence of pediatric HCW at a children’s hospital in Colorado. We compared this with publicly available seroprevalence data for seroprevalence rates of pediatric HCWs globally. This suggests that this specific children’s hospital COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection control guidelines were effective in limiting SARS-CoV-2 in hospital transmission at the children’s hospital prior to the presence of the Delta variant.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140707129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-08DOI: 10.1177/17571774241245430
Pauline E Jolly, Yihong Li, Avanelle Thomas, Andrew Braun, Luz A Padilla, Symone Thompson, Maung Aung
The emergence of deadly infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and COVID-19 ( SARS-CoV-2) highlights the need for effective infection control (IC) procedures in healthcare facilities. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of healthcare workers (HCWs) on IC procedures. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among HCWs in western Jamaica from May to August 2015. A questionnaire based on the Jamaican Health Facilities Infection and Control Policies and Procedures Manual was used to collect data on staff training in IC, and their KAP of IC. Summary statistics, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were applied for data analyses. Among 227 participants, the mean knowledge scores were statistically higher among the younger HCWs, Physicians/Nurses, and those in clinical units. Older HCWs, non-physicians/nurses, non-clinical unit workers, HCWs at Western Regional Hospital A, and those who received ongoing IC training scored higher on attitude. The practice scores were significantly correlated with the attitude scores but not the knowledge scores. The attitude score was a significant predictor for IC practices. Six knowledge and three attitude variables were significant predictors of IC practices that the Western Regional Health Authority Officials can use to implement measures to improve IC practices among HCWs.
耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌和 COVID-19 （SARS-CoV-2）等致命性感染的出现，凸显了在医疗机构中实施有效感染控制（IC）程序的必要性。本研究旨在评估医护人员（HCWs）在感染控制程序方面的知识、态度和实践（KAP）。2015 年 5 月至 8 月期间，对牙买加西部的医护人员进行了一次横断面调查。调查问卷以《牙买加医疗机构感染与控制政策和程序手册》为基础，收集了有关医护人员接受 IC 培训的情况以及他们对 IC 的态度和实践的数据。数据分析采用了汇总统计、方差分析和多元线性回归等方法。在 227 名参与者中，年轻的医护人员、医生/护士和临床科室人员的平均知识得分较高。年龄较大的医护人员、非医生/护士、非临床科室工作人员、西部地区 A 医院的医护人员以及接受过持续 IC 培训的医护人员在态度方面得分较高。实践得分与态度得分明显相关，但与知识得分无关。态度得分对 IC 实践有明显的预测作用。六项知识变量和三项态度变量对 IC 实践具有重要的预测作用，西部地区卫生局官员可利用这些变量采取措施，改善医护人员的 IC 实践。
{"title":"Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Jamaican healthcare workers on nosocomial infection control","authors":"Pauline E Jolly, Yihong Li, Avanelle Thomas, Andrew Braun, Luz A Padilla, Symone Thompson, Maung Aung","doi":"10.1177/17571774241245430","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241245430","url":null,"abstract":"The emergence of deadly infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and COVID-19 ( SARS-CoV-2) highlights the need for effective infection control (IC) procedures in healthcare facilities. The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of healthcare workers (HCWs) on IC procedures. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among HCWs in western Jamaica from May to August 2015. A questionnaire based on the Jamaican Health Facilities Infection and Control Policies and Procedures Manual was used to collect data on staff training in IC, and their KAP of IC. Summary statistics, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression were applied for data analyses. Among 227 participants, the mean knowledge scores were statistically higher among the younger HCWs, Physicians/Nurses, and those in clinical units. Older HCWs, non-physicians/nurses, non-clinical unit workers, HCWs at Western Regional Hospital A, and those who received ongoing IC training scored higher on attitude. The practice scores were significantly correlated with the attitude scores but not the knowledge scores. The attitude score was a significant predictor for IC practices. Six knowledge and three attitude variables were significant predictors of IC practices that the Western Regional Health Authority Officials can use to implement measures to improve IC practices among HCWs.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140731483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-06DOI: 10.1177/17571774241245437
Angela C Dansereau, Kristen E Marti, John W Mah, Nicholas Pugliese
In 2020, as a result of evidence of demonstrated safety of an initial pilot program, our institution set out to implement a peripheral vasopressor infusion protocol. To evaluate the use of peripheral lines for vasopressor administration to reduce placement of unnecessary central lines and central line days. This is an Institutional Review Board approved, single center retrospective chart review conducted as pre/post-analysis. Our hospital is a quaternary care, level 1 trauma center in Hartford, Connecticut that serves 100,000-120,000 patients annually. Patients >18 years admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) were included if meeting protocol specific inclusion criteria pertaining to moderate expected duration and dose of vasopressor. Patients were excluded if vasculature not supportive of placement of two peripheral intravenous (PIV) sites, PIV sites without brisk blood return, had a limb restriction, or metacarpal line. All analyses were conducted with SPSS v. 26 (IBM; Armonk, NY 2019), using an a priori alpha level of 0.05 such that all results yielding p < .05 were deemed statistically significant. Primary efficacy outcomes of this study are number of central lines placed and number of central line days. The primary safety outcome is the number of extravasation events attributed to peripheral administration of vasopressors. Overall, 146 patients avoided central line placement constituting a 58.4% ( p < .001) decrease in central line placement with peripheral vasopressor use. Out of 382 administrations there were a total of 14 extravasation events that occurred with peripheral vasopressor use in the post-intervention group. Implementation was associated with a statistically significant reduction in CLABSI occurrence. The results of this analysis demonstrate that vasopressors can peripherally administered safely, when proximal to the antecubital fossa, at lower doses, and for short durations of infusion with minimal adverse events.
2020 年，由于初步试点计划的安全性已得到证实，本机构开始实施外周血管加压输注方案。评估使用外周管路输注血管加压素的情况，以减少不必要的中心管路置入和中心管路输注天数。这是一项经机构审查委员会批准的单中心回顾性病历审查，作为前后分析进行。我们医院是康涅狄格州哈特福德市的一家四级医疗机构、一级创伤中心，每年为 10 万至 12 万名患者提供服务。重症监护室（ICU）收治的年龄大于 18 岁的患者，如果符合与血管舒张剂预期持续时间和剂量适中相关的特定纳入标准，则被纳入其中。如果血管不支持放置两个外周静脉注射 (PIV) 位点、PIV 位点没有快速回血、肢体受限或掌骨线，则排除患者。所有分析均使用 SPSS v. 26 (IBM; Armonk, NY 2019)进行，使用的先验α水平为 0.05，因此所有 P < .05 的结果均被视为具有统计学意义。本研究的主要疗效结果为中心静脉置管次数和中心静脉置管天数。主要安全性结果是因外周给药血管加压药导致的外渗事件数量。总体而言，146 名患者避免了中心静脉置管，使用外周血管加压药后中心静脉置管减少了 58.4% ( p < .001)。在干预后使用外周血管加压药的 382 次给药中，共有 14 次发生外渗事件。实施干预后，CLABSI 发生率在统计学上显著降低。这项分析结果表明，在肘前窝近端以较低剂量、短时间输注血管加压药时，外周给药是安全的，且不良反应极少。
{"title":"Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of peripheral vasopressors to decrease central line placement and associated bloodstream infections","authors":"Angela C Dansereau, Kristen E Marti, John W Mah, Nicholas Pugliese","doi":"10.1177/17571774241245437","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241245437","url":null,"abstract":"In 2020, as a result of evidence of demonstrated safety of an initial pilot program, our institution set out to implement a peripheral vasopressor infusion protocol. To evaluate the use of peripheral lines for vasopressor administration to reduce placement of unnecessary central lines and central line days. This is an Institutional Review Board approved, single center retrospective chart review conducted as pre/post-analysis. Our hospital is a quaternary care, level 1 trauma center in Hartford, Connecticut that serves 100,000-120,000 patients annually. Patients >18 years admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) were included if meeting protocol specific inclusion criteria pertaining to moderate expected duration and dose of vasopressor. Patients were excluded if vasculature not supportive of placement of two peripheral intravenous (PIV) sites, PIV sites without brisk blood return, had a limb restriction, or metacarpal line. All analyses were conducted with SPSS v. 26 (IBM; Armonk, NY 2019), using an a priori alpha level of 0.05 such that all results yielding p < .05 were deemed statistically significant. Primary efficacy outcomes of this study are number of central lines placed and number of central line days. The primary safety outcome is the number of extravasation events attributed to peripheral administration of vasopressors. Overall, 146 patients avoided central line placement constituting a 58.4% ( p < .001) decrease in central line placement with peripheral vasopressor use. Out of 382 administrations there were a total of 14 extravasation events that occurred with peripheral vasopressor use in the post-intervention group. Implementation was associated with a statistically significant reduction in CLABSI occurrence. The results of this analysis demonstrate that vasopressors can peripherally administered safely, when proximal to the antecubital fossa, at lower doses, and for short durations of infusion with minimal adverse events.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140734829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-06DOI: 10.1177/17571774241245259
MaurastellaSister McCarthy, Martina Giltenane, O. Doody
Infection prevention and control guidelines play a key role in preventing infections which can impact mothers and their newborn’s quality of life. Despite the presence of evidenced-based infection prevention and control guidelines, midwives’ adherence can be suboptimal internationally. The identification of facilitators and barriers to infection prevention and control guidelines can support practice and facilitate midwifery care. To understand midwives’ experiences of the barriers and facilitators when adhering to infection prevention and control guidelines. A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews with 10 midwives from February to March 2022. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed utilising Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework involving the six steps of becoming familiar with the data, generating initial codes, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming the themes, and presenting themes. Two themes developed; seesaw for equilibrium and back to basics: learning on your feet. Midwives experienced conflicting emotional motivators in the need for professional integrity towards infection prevention and control guideline adherence. The work environment impacts on midwives’ ability to adhere to guidelines and communication and education have a vital role to play in infection prevention and control guideline adherence. While midwives have a strong sense of protection of professional integrity, work conditions such as environment, organisational structures, and management systems affect midwives’ adherence to infection prevention and control guidelines. Effective education, training, and communication are required to promote infection prevention and control guideline adherence.
{"title":"A seesaw of equilibrium, midwives’ experiences of infection prevention and control guideline adherence: A qualitative descriptive study","authors":"MaurastellaSister McCarthy, Martina Giltenane, O. Doody","doi":"10.1177/17571774241245259","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241245259","url":null,"abstract":"Infection prevention and control guidelines play a key role in preventing infections which can impact mothers and their newborn’s quality of life. Despite the presence of evidenced-based infection prevention and control guidelines, midwives’ adherence can be suboptimal internationally. The identification of facilitators and barriers to infection prevention and control guidelines can support practice and facilitate midwifery care. To understand midwives’ experiences of the barriers and facilitators when adhering to infection prevention and control guidelines. A qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews with 10 midwives from February to March 2022. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed utilising Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis framework involving the six steps of becoming familiar with the data, generating initial codes, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming the themes, and presenting themes. Two themes developed; seesaw for equilibrium and back to basics: learning on your feet. Midwives experienced conflicting emotional motivators in the need for professional integrity towards infection prevention and control guideline adherence. The work environment impacts on midwives’ ability to adhere to guidelines and communication and education have a vital role to play in infection prevention and control guideline adherence. While midwives have a strong sense of protection of professional integrity, work conditions such as environment, organisational structures, and management systems affect midwives’ adherence to infection prevention and control guidelines. Effective education, training, and communication are required to promote infection prevention and control guideline adherence.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140734104","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-04-04DOI: 10.1177/17571774241242576
{"title":"Diary.","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/17571774241242576","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241242576","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140745197","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-19DOI: 10.1177/17571774241239221
M. Wynn
Global challenges arise from infectious diseases which represent significant challenges to the provision of healthcare, requiring efficient management procedures to limit transmission. Evaluating current outbreak management processes within UK healthcare services is essential for identifying strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements. This study aimed to assess infection prevention and control (IPC) practitioners' access to outbreak management (OM) data. Secondary objectives involved determining IPC practitioners’ perceptions of outbreak management processes and the state of digitalisation of OM in the UK. National cross-sectional survey data were collected to evaluate current outbreak management approaches. To supplement this, information requests were sent to the 10 largest teaching and research NHS hospital trusts in England. The survey received 55 responses with 53 considered for analysis. Out of 10 NHS trusts, nine provided completed FOI responses, while one was unable to provide data. The study offers unique insights into prevailing outbreak management practices within UK health services. Although positive perceptions surround key outbreak management stages, concerns arise, including varying confidence levels in surveillance processes' robustness, efficacy of management interventions, and communication effectiveness. The study highlights challenges with OM processes in the UK, including issues like poor surveillance and delayed outbreak detection. Positive practitioner perceptions contrast with concerns over data collection, follow-up, and limited digitalisation, relying on basic tools like Excel and Word, hindering retrospective learning.
{"title":"Perceptions and digitalisation of outbreak management in UK health services: A cross-sectional survey","authors":"M. Wynn","doi":"10.1177/17571774241239221","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241239221","url":null,"abstract":"Global challenges arise from infectious diseases which represent significant challenges to the provision of healthcare, requiring efficient management procedures to limit transmission. Evaluating current outbreak management processes within UK healthcare services is essential for identifying strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements. This study aimed to assess infection prevention and control (IPC) practitioners' access to outbreak management (OM) data. Secondary objectives involved determining IPC practitioners’ perceptions of outbreak management processes and the state of digitalisation of OM in the UK. National cross-sectional survey data were collected to evaluate current outbreak management approaches. To supplement this, information requests were sent to the 10 largest teaching and research NHS hospital trusts in England. The survey received 55 responses with 53 considered for analysis. Out of 10 NHS trusts, nine provided completed FOI responses, while one was unable to provide data. The study offers unique insights into prevailing outbreak management practices within UK health services. Although positive perceptions surround key outbreak management stages, concerns arise, including varying confidence levels in surveillance processes' robustness, efficacy of management interventions, and communication effectiveness. The study highlights challenges with OM processes in the UK, including issues like poor surveillance and delayed outbreak detection. Positive practitioner perceptions contrast with concerns over data collection, follow-up, and limited digitalisation, relying on basic tools like Excel and Word, hindering retrospective learning.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140228828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-18DOI: 10.1177/17571774241239782
M. Fifolt, Natalie Baker, R. W. Menefee, Elena Kidd, Lisa C. McCormick
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the lack of infection prevention and control (IPC) infrastructure among long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in the United States; the situation in Alabama is particularly dire with LTCFs receiving some of the lowest quality ratings in the country. Alabama’s LTCFs continue to be challenged by frequent staff turnover, vaccine hesitancy, and reluctance to embrace new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations such as enhanced barrier precautions. However, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 made funds available to states through a CDC Epidemiology and Laboratory (ELC) Cooperative Agreement to promote IPC system improvement, including the creation of the Alabama Nursing Home and Long-Term Care Strike Team (LTC Strike Team). In this article, we reviewed preliminary data from Alabama for the first year of the 2-year cooperative agreement cycle (2022––2023). Data included activity tracking by Infection Preventionists (IPs) and evaluations submitted voluntarily by LTCFs upon completion of trainings and/or direct services provided by the LTC Strike Team. Results indicated a significant need for IPC training among LTCFs and a high level of satisfaction with the services provided by IPs. Despite successes, it is unclear if future funding will be available to support long-term sustainability efforts.
{"title":"Addressing infection prevention and control in Alabama through the long-term care strike team","authors":"M. Fifolt, Natalie Baker, R. W. Menefee, Elena Kidd, Lisa C. McCormick","doi":"10.1177/17571774241239782","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241239782","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the lack of infection prevention and control (IPC) infrastructure among long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in the United States; the situation in Alabama is particularly dire with LTCFs receiving some of the lowest quality ratings in the country. Alabama’s LTCFs continue to be challenged by frequent staff turnover, vaccine hesitancy, and reluctance to embrace new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations such as enhanced barrier precautions. However, the American Rescue Plan of 2021 made funds available to states through a CDC Epidemiology and Laboratory (ELC) Cooperative Agreement to promote IPC system improvement, including the creation of the Alabama Nursing Home and Long-Term Care Strike Team (LTC Strike Team). In this article, we reviewed preliminary data from Alabama for the first year of the 2-year cooperative agreement cycle (2022––2023). Data included activity tracking by Infection Preventionists (IPs) and evaluations submitted voluntarily by LTCFs upon completion of trainings and/or direct services provided by the LTC Strike Team. Results indicated a significant need for IPC training among LTCFs and a high level of satisfaction with the services provided by IPs. Despite successes, it is unclear if future funding will be available to support long-term sustainability efforts.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140233625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-16DOI: 10.1177/17571774241239777
M. Butsashvili, Giorgi Kanchelashvili, A. Aslanikashvili, T. Kuchuloria, S. Shadaker, I. Tskhomelidze, M. Tsereteli, G. Kamkamidze, S. Handanagic, Priti R Patel, Paige A. Armstrong
Individuals receiving hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease are at increased risk of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) due to regular and frequent receipt of invasive medical treatment in a shared space. This study assessed infection prevention and control practices in dialysis facilities, evaluated HCV and HBV testing practices, and estimated the number of cases of seroconversion for HCV and HBV infection in dialysis facilities in Georgia. We invited all 27 dialysis centers that provide maintenance dialysis in Georgia to participate in a facility-based survey during April–June 2021. In total, 68.2% ( n = 15/22) of facilities performed anti-HCV screening upon admission to the center. At the majority of facilities ( n = 21/22, 95.5%), HBV screening was performed upon admission to the center. A total of 329 anti-HCV positive patients were reported from 20 of 22 facilities, 29.5% ( n = 97/329) were HCV RNA positive, 18.2% ( n = 60/329) were HCV RNA negative, and 52.3% ( n = 172/329) were not tested or their result was missing. Overall, 200 HBsAg-positive patients were reported from the same 20 facilities. At 10 facilities: 39 patients from seven facilities seroconverted for HCV infection, and 31 patients from eight dialysis facilities seroconverted for HBV infection. We identified a high number of HBV and HCV seroconversions among dialysis patients in Georgia suggesting serious gaps in infection control practices. Strict adherence to infection prevention and control practices is essential to prevent transmission of HCV and HBV infections through contaminated equipment and surfaces.
{"title":"Hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing practices and observed seroconversions among dialysis facilities in Georgia","authors":"M. Butsashvili, Giorgi Kanchelashvili, A. Aslanikashvili, T. Kuchuloria, S. Shadaker, I. Tskhomelidze, M. Tsereteli, G. Kamkamidze, S. Handanagic, Priti R Patel, Paige A. Armstrong","doi":"10.1177/17571774241239777","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241239777","url":null,"abstract":"Individuals receiving hemodialysis for end-stage kidney disease are at increased risk of infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) due to regular and frequent receipt of invasive medical treatment in a shared space. This study assessed infection prevention and control practices in dialysis facilities, evaluated HCV and HBV testing practices, and estimated the number of cases of seroconversion for HCV and HBV infection in dialysis facilities in Georgia. We invited all 27 dialysis centers that provide maintenance dialysis in Georgia to participate in a facility-based survey during April–June 2021. In total, 68.2% ( n = 15/22) of facilities performed anti-HCV screening upon admission to the center. At the majority of facilities ( n = 21/22, 95.5%), HBV screening was performed upon admission to the center. A total of 329 anti-HCV positive patients were reported from 20 of 22 facilities, 29.5% ( n = 97/329) were HCV RNA positive, 18.2% ( n = 60/329) were HCV RNA negative, and 52.3% ( n = 172/329) were not tested or their result was missing. Overall, 200 HBsAg-positive patients were reported from the same 20 facilities. At 10 facilities: 39 patients from seven facilities seroconverted for HCV infection, and 31 patients from eight dialysis facilities seroconverted for HBV infection. We identified a high number of HBV and HCV seroconversions among dialysis patients in Georgia suggesting serious gaps in infection control practices. Strict adherence to infection prevention and control practices is essential to prevent transmission of HCV and HBV infections through contaminated equipment and surfaces.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140236339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-15DOI: 10.1177/17571774241239774
André Luiz Silva Alvim, Adriely de Abreu Varoto, Elaine Martins, M. A. Rigotti, A. M. Ferreira, Natalia Bianchini Dodo, Maiara Oliveira Diniz, Alessandra Lyrio Barbosa Giroti, Liliane Moretti Carneiro, Emileide Dos Santos Almeida Vaz, Álvaro Francisco Lopes de Sousa, Denise de Andrade
The presence of contamination and microorganisms at any stage of processing renders a method unsafe, leading to a high risk of cross-transmission and cross-infection. The objective of this study was to assess the cleaning quality of aspirator instruments used in neurosurgical procedures. The experimental study was conducted at the materials and sterilization center, as well as the microbiology laboratory, of a philanthropic hospital in Brazil. A study protocol was implemented, which involved the analysis of 10 samples of Yasargil aspirators with varying dimensions. The samples were subjected to protein tests to detect the presence of organic matter and microbiological analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that 40% of the instruments tested positive for protein after manual cleaning. Furthermore, after automated cleaning, samples showed an increased microbiological load, with Escherichia coli accounting for 20% and Klebsiella aerogenes for 10% of the identified microorganisms. This study provides evidence of failures in the cleaning process of healthcare products and highlights the presence of biofilm in the pipes, thereby compromising the drinking water quality standard.
{"title":"Impact of water quality on reprocessing equipment: Assessment of neurosurgical instruments cleaning and biofilm formation in hospital pipes","authors":"André Luiz Silva Alvim, Adriely de Abreu Varoto, Elaine Martins, M. A. Rigotti, A. M. Ferreira, Natalia Bianchini Dodo, Maiara Oliveira Diniz, Alessandra Lyrio Barbosa Giroti, Liliane Moretti Carneiro, Emileide Dos Santos Almeida Vaz, Álvaro Francisco Lopes de Sousa, Denise de Andrade","doi":"10.1177/17571774241239774","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241239774","url":null,"abstract":"The presence of contamination and microorganisms at any stage of processing renders a method unsafe, leading to a high risk of cross-transmission and cross-infection. The objective of this study was to assess the cleaning quality of aspirator instruments used in neurosurgical procedures. The experimental study was conducted at the materials and sterilization center, as well as the microbiology laboratory, of a philanthropic hospital in Brazil. A study protocol was implemented, which involved the analysis of 10 samples of Yasargil aspirators with varying dimensions. The samples were subjected to protein tests to detect the presence of organic matter and microbiological analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that 40% of the instruments tested positive for protein after manual cleaning. Furthermore, after automated cleaning, samples showed an increased microbiological load, with Escherichia coli accounting for 20% and Klebsiella aerogenes for 10% of the identified microorganisms. This study provides evidence of failures in the cleaning process of healthcare products and highlights the presence of biofilm in the pipes, thereby compromising the drinking water quality standard.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140240309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-03-15DOI: 10.1177/17571774241239780
Sharon Akinpelu, A. Ajayi, S. I. Smith, A. Adeleye
Multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens employ different mechanisms in evading the action of antibiotics. Multidrug resistance is wide spread among strains of Escherichia coli implicated in several infections including urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections, meningitis and bacteraemia. This study investigates the antibiotic resistance profile, efflux pump activity and biofilm formation ability of E. coli strains isolated from clinical samples. A total of 32 E. coli strains isolated from clinical samples were characterized and subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing using standard methods. Isolates were screened phenotypically for biofilm formation and efflux pump activity. While molecular detection of genes encoding curli fimbriae and efflux pump activity was done by PCR. All 32 (100%) E. coli isolates were resistant to ceftazidime, cefuroxime, cefixime, amoxicillin-clavulanate, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. While 30 (93.8%) were resistant to gentamicin, 27 (84.4%) were resistant to cefepime and the least resistance of 15.6% was to imipenem. Efflux pump encoding gene tolC was detected in 13(40.6%) of the isolates, while 1(3.1%) harboured acrA gene. acrB gene was not detected in any of the isolates. Seven (21.9%) of the isolates were strong biofilm formers, while 5 (15.6%) and 20 (62.5%) were moderate and weak biofilm formers respectively. csgA gene was detected in all E. coli isolates. High antibiotic resistance of E. coli strains observed in this study is of public health significance. . It is therefore important to scale up efforts in regular monitoring of antibiotic resistance in both community and hospital settings.
{"title":"Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of determinants that mediate antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli strains of clinical origin in South-Western Nigeria","authors":"Sharon Akinpelu, A. Ajayi, S. I. Smith, A. Adeleye","doi":"10.1177/17571774241239780","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774241239780","url":null,"abstract":"Multidrug resistant bacterial pathogens employ different mechanisms in evading the action of antibiotics. Multidrug resistance is wide spread among strains of Escherichia coli implicated in several infections including urinary tract infections, gastrointestinal infections, meningitis and bacteraemia. This study investigates the antibiotic resistance profile, efflux pump activity and biofilm formation ability of E. coli strains isolated from clinical samples. A total of 32 E. coli strains isolated from clinical samples were characterized and subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing using standard methods. Isolates were screened phenotypically for biofilm formation and efflux pump activity. While molecular detection of genes encoding curli fimbriae and efflux pump activity was done by PCR. All 32 (100%) E. coli isolates were resistant to ceftazidime, cefuroxime, cefixime, amoxicillin-clavulanate, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. While 30 (93.8%) were resistant to gentamicin, 27 (84.4%) were resistant to cefepime and the least resistance of 15.6% was to imipenem. Efflux pump encoding gene tolC was detected in 13(40.6%) of the isolates, while 1(3.1%) harboured acrA gene. acrB gene was not detected in any of the isolates. Seven (21.9%) of the isolates were strong biofilm formers, while 5 (15.6%) and 20 (62.5%) were moderate and weak biofilm formers respectively. csgA gene was detected in all E. coli isolates. High antibiotic resistance of E. coli strains observed in this study is of public health significance. . It is therefore important to scale up efforts in regular monitoring of antibiotic resistance in both community and hospital settings.","PeriodicalId":16094,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Infection Prevention","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140239306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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