American journal of infection control最新文献

{"title":"Home-based nursing care for clients carrying multidrug-resistant organisms: A focus group study in the Netherlands.","authors":"Tessa J C Langeveld, Manon R Haverkate, Renske Eilers, Freek de Haan, Aura Timen","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.12.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.12.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The growing population of vulnerable clients receiving home-based nursing care (HBNC), combined with the worldwide increase in the prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), poses a new burden on nursing staff. This study explored the attitudes, perceptions, experiences, challenges, and needs of nursing staff providing HBNC for clients carrying MDROs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seven focus groups with home-based nursing staff (N = 34) were performed in the Netherlands between April and July 2022, using a semistructured, open-ended topic list based on the integrated-change model and seven domains of practice. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants experienced ambiguities in infection prevention and control recommendations in MDRO guidelines or protocols. At times, the proportionality of these measures was questioned, including the effect on compliance. Participants indicated to be influenced by perceptions and behavior of their colleagues and clients. Furthermore, participants experienced inadequate information exchange about MDRO carriage and debated about the roles and responsibilities of involved health care professionals.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There is a need for tailored MDRO guidelines for HBNC. Expanding knowledge, sufficient resources, and improving information exchange about MDRO carriage among health care professionals, clients (including their family members), and HBNC organization boards are essential to respond to current developments in HBNC.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142805846","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Right-sizing expectations for hand hygiene observation collection.","authors":"Sara M Reese, Bryan C Knepper, Rebecca Crapanzano-Sigafoos","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hand Hygiene (HH) monitoring is essential for patient and staff safety, but the optimal number of observations remains elusive. This project aimed to determine a statistically comparable number below the current standard of 100 to 200 per month per unit.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>HH observations from various hospitals were grouped in strata by facility, unit, and month, then resampled into sets of 25, 50, 100, and 150 for comparison with 200. Significant comparisons and confidence interval width differences were calculated. A power analysis, accounting for adherence rates (50%-90%), identified sample sizes needed for significant differences from 200 at the 0.05 level.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 873,618 observations across 68 facilities, compared sample sizes (25, 50, 100, 150) to 200, showed 2.6% to 4.3% significant differences at P = .05, with median confidence interval width differences from 0.05% to 0.68%. The power analysis showed required percentage differences for significance at P = .05 ranged from 7.8% (150 vs 200 at 90% HH adherence) to 30% (25 vs 200 at 50% adherence).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings suggest hospitals could reduce HH observations to 50 per unit per month without affecting data quality even at lower adherence. It is recommended that standards shift focus from monitoring (with fewer observations) to training, education, culture, infrastructure, and feedback.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142871096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Infection preventionists' experiences and perceptions of health equity and the development of health care-associated infections: Focus group findings conducted from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) members.","authors":"Jessica Tarabay, Caldwell A Lewin, Ria Gupta, Rebecca Bartles","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.016","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Health equity is a growing concern in health care. Infection prevention and control (IPC) practices can play a pivotal role in addressing inequities related to health care-associated infections (HAIs). The authors aimed to explore the intersection of health equity and IPC practices.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Seven virtual focus groups were conducted between February and April 2024 with 47 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology members from diverse health care settings. Participants completed a demographic survey and engaged in discussions on health equity's role in IPC, its impact on HAIs, and resource challenges. Content analysis was used to identify key themes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Key themes included patient-centered care, resource availability, and social determinants of health. IP professionals pointed to disparities stemming from geographic location, uneven resource allocation, and difficulties with data collection, especially in under-resourced settings. Social determinants of health and unconscious bias was a pervasive barrier to equitable care.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>IPs highlighted the need to distinguish between equity, equality, and patient-centered care in relationship to IPC. Participants noted the necessity for improved data collection, resources, and unconscious bias training to support health equity in IPC. Collaboration with public health and community organizations was emphasized.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>IPC professionals are crucial in advancing health equity by addressing disparities in HAIs.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142765343","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nosocomial outbreak due to a novel sequence type of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter seifertii.","authors":"Patricia Orlandi Barth, Dariane Castro Pereira, Gabriela Simões de Oliveira, Loriane Rita Konkewicz, Larissa Lutz, William Latosinski Matos, Mariana Preussler Mott, Caroline Collioni Constante, Camila Morschbacher Wilhelm, Laura Czekster Antochevis, Rodrigo Minuto Paiva, Kellen Figueira Tragnago, Afonso Luis Barth, Andreza Francisco Martins","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.019","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Acinetobacter seifertii, a member of A baumannii-calcoaceticus complex, can be considered a pathogen of concern due to the presence of resistance genes. The aim of the study was to describe an outbreak of carbapenem-resistant A seifertii among neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a tertiary care hospital.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>All patients with carbapenem-resistant A seifertii diagnosed and admitted to the NICU from June 2023 to October 2023 were included. The presence of carbapenemase genes (bla_IMP, bla_VIM, bla_NDM, bla_KPC, bla_GES, bla_OXA-48-like, and bla_OXA-23) was investigated by qPCR. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed by MiSeq (Illumina) and MinION (Nanopore) platforms. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (IR Biotyper) was applied for microbial strain typing.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Eleven patients were affected and a set of measures were implemented at NICU to reduce the risk of transmission. The isolates exhibited identical resistance patterns; additionally, all isolates presented the bla_NDM-1 gene and were grouped in the same cluster by IR Biotyper. The WGS revealed that the isolates belonged to a novel ST assigned as ST2712, and the bla_NDM-1 was carried by the same plasmid type.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Our study has identified a novel strain of A seifertii carrying bla_NDM-1 responsible for the outbreak, indicating its emergence in the institution.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This is the first report of carbapenem-resistant A seifertii ST2712. The use of WGS for genomic surveillance allowed understanding the dissemination of Carbapenem-resistant A baumannii, which is crucial in outbreak scenarios.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142765463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Veteran patient perceptions of a universal gloving intervention for health care-associated infection prevention: A qualitative study.","authors":"Julie A Keating, Linda McKinley, Katherine Dolan, Helene Moriarty, Vishala Parmasad, Cara Ray, Nasia Safdar","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Universal gloving by health care workers (HCW) for all patient care activities (beyond isolation and standard precautions) has been proposed to reduce health care-associated infection transmission, but patient perceptions of this approach are unclear. We interviewed patients who experienced a universal gloving intervention by HCW within Veterans Affairs inpatient acute care units to understand their perceptions of universal gloving.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted interviews with 15 patients across 5 Veterans Affairs hospitals. We used a rapid qualitative inquiry approach to analyze interview transcripts and identified patient perceptions of universal gloving regarding patient knowledge, patient experience, and HCW practice.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patients were highly supportive of HCW use of universal gloving, noting potential benefits for infection prevention, patient and HCW safety, and patient feelings of well-being and care. Patients also communicated support of universal gloving in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Universal gloving by HCW may support patients' feelings of safe and positive health care delivery.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Patients' positive perception of gloving may facilitate universal gloving as an infection prevention and control strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142765400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc Certification in Infection Control (CIC) examination rates.","authors":"Kayla E Ruch, Anabel Rodriguez, Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Eric L Brown","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.020","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Infection prevention professionals develop through training and certification practices, with the Certified in Infection Control and Epidemiology (CIC) exam being the industry standard for infection prevention and control expertise.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study conducted a secondary analysis of Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc exam scores from 2013 to 2022. Reliability coefficients, Spearman-Brown coefficients, and Standard Error Measurement averages were calculated for the CIC exam's eight objective areas from 2016 to 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Over the past decade, pass rates varied from 57.30% to 85.40%, with a mean of 69.7%. The number of exam participants ranged from 574 to 1,392. Despite the variability, the highest reliability, Spearman-Brown, and Standard Error Measurement averages were consistently observed in areas such as identifying infectious disease processes, surveillance, epidemiological investigation, and controlling transmission of infectious agents.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>As more facilities push for certification, the number of CIC exam takers has increased. However, the evolving nature of infection prevention and the lack of a standardized training track contribute to variations in reliability coefficients across the exam's objective areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142764863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An online educational resource to support infection prevention and control in schools: Results from a pilot study in Missouri.","authors":"Janet Haas, Devin Jopp, Benjamen Pringer, India Rose, Alyssa Contreras, Sarah Conklin, Chris Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need to provide schools with support for implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services engaged the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology to develop the IPC Toolkit for Missouri Schools to train school-based IPC teams.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A needs assessment was conducted with Missouri school staff and IPC professionals, among other partners. Once the IPC Toolkit was developed, 8 school districts were selected to participate in a pilot program. Pre-/post-surveys and qualitative interviews were conducted to evaluate participants' experience with the IPC Toolkit.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>More than half of respondents to the presurvey reported that funding, clear guidance or guidelines, and training are needed to implement IPC practices more efficiently and effectively in schools. Participants in the pilot program agreed that the toolkit was engaging (98.94%), clear (100%), easy to navigate (97.87%), and supported learning (100%).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>The IPC Toolkit helped to increase self-reported knowledge about IPC practices, the confidence to implement IPC practices, the level of importance participants attributed to IPC, and the extent to which participants embraced IPC as a responsibility of their role.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study could help inform the implementation of IPC educational materials for other elementary, middle, and high schools.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142783940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis of toxin-producing and antiseptic resistance genes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients in a neonatal intensive care unit.","authors":"Taijiro Watanabe, Tadashi Hoshino, Shota Yamamoto, Taizo Kusano, Haruki Mori, Noriko Takeuchi, Misako Ohkusu, Naruhiko Ishiwada","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.015","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Polymerase chain reaction--based open-reading frame typing (POT) is used to investigate nosocomial infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We analyzed the relationship between POT types, nosocomial infections, and toxin-producing and antiseptic resistance genes of MRSA isolated from patients in neonatal intensive care units.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Forty-four strains were typed by POT method. We identified toxin genes luk_pvSF, tst, eta and etb, and antiseptic resistance genes qacA/B and smr.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Fourteen POT types were identified; 43 strains were considered community-acquired MRSA. Twenty-eight strains were nosocomial. Eleven strains were positive for toxin-producing genes (9 for tst and 2 for luk_pvSF) and classified into 6 POT types. Six strains were positive for antiseptic resistance genes (qacA/B) and classified into 2 POT types. Overall, 11 MRSA isolates were positive for toxin-producing or antiseptic resistance genes (6 nosocomial, 5 non-nosocomial). Strains with POT types 106-9-80 (2 strains) and 106-221-120 (4 strains) were positive for tst and qacA/B, equally divided between nosocomial and non-nosocomial.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Some POT types are prone to nosocomial infections. However, no clear association between toxin-producing or antiseptic resistance genes and nosocomial infections was observed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Factors other than toxin production and resistance to disinfectants may be related to nosocomial infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142738054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of the microbial contamination of the audiological diagnostic equipment and their current disinfection techniques.","authors":"Bahtiyar Çelikgün, Furkan Büyükkal, M Esra Koçoğlu, M Tayyar Kalcioğlu, A Mehmet Akşit","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The study aims to investigate the microbial contamination of commonly used audiological diagnostic equipment and to evaluate the effectiveness of existing disinfection methods in audiological clinics.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Hospitals with fully equipped audiology clinics in Istanbul were included in the study. Various audiological diagnostic devices and disinfection practices in hospitals were examined. A total of 60 swab samples were collected from the stimulus button on the audiometer, patient response switch, supra-aural headphone cushion, bone conduction headphone, and disinfected probe tips used in the Tympanometer and Auditory Brainstem Response.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Bacterial growth was observed on 40% of the analyzed plates, with 11.66% showing 2 different types of bacterial growth. Staphylococcaceae family were the most common bacteria identified. Other bacteria included Pseudomonas putida, Pantoea spp., Micrococcus luteus, Corynebacterium spp., and Bacillus spp. The highest bacterial growth occurred on the supra-aural headphone cushion and bone vibrator.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study highlights the presence of various bacteria on audiological diagnostic equipment, emphasizing Staphylococcus species as predominant. Current disinfection practices, particularly for supra-aural headphones and bone vibrators, were found to be inadequate, potentially posing risks for infections. The study suggests the need for disinfection protocols, particularly for frequently touched devices, to ensure patient safety in clinics.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142738055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Infection prevention and control recommendations for emergent congregate settings: A case of refugee settlement to \"safe haven\".","authors":"Nicole Mueller, Aimee Mikesch, Allison O'Rourke","doi":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.013","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ajic.2024.11.013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the fall of 2021, 12,900 refugee guests were welcomed to a US Army Total Force Training Center in the rural Midwest. Numerous challenges were experienced on base, including several communicable disease outbreaks. Infection prevention and control experts from the state health department were invited on base to observe and provide infection prevention and control consultation. Recommendations and an executive summary were provided to base leadership to improve conditions for those living and working on base.</p>","PeriodicalId":7621,"journal":{"name":"American journal of infection control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142708994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}