Hospital Infection Control & Prevention
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Will SHEA Drop Flu Shot Mandate of HCWs?
“Given the assault on science that we are likely to see over the next four years in the U.S., SHEA must lead by ensuring that all of its recommendations are solidly based in evidence and that expectations for compliance with interventions correlate with the strength of the evidence,” notes Michael Edmond, MD, clinical professor of internal medicine and infectious diseases at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. “Just as we must defend vaccines from false claims of adverse effects, we must also truthfully acknowledge their limitations and shape our policy on science not opinion.”
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Study: Flu Shot Mandates Unsupported by Science
The four trials were conducted in long-term care facilities, but have generally been extrapolated to support flu immunization requirements in acute care and other settings. Among other benefits, the studies generally link reductions in resident mortality to higher staff flu vaccination rates. With healthcare worker vaccination rates lagging in most hospitals, several facilities began mandating immunization several years ago in what has since become a national trend.
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Joint Commission Antibiotic Stewardship in Effect
Infection preventionists should be aware that with the turn of the new year, The Joint Commission’s antibiotic stewardship standard is now in effect. The new Medication Management (MM) standard (MM.09.01.01) requires antimicrobial stewardship programs for hospitals, critical access hospitals, and nursing care centers.
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SHEA Epidemiologists training for ‘All Hazards” Outbreaks
After a succession of emerging infections from SARS to Ebola in this young century, healthcare epidemiologists are trying to shift the response from reacting to a single pathogen to a more all-hazards approach.
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Research on Antibiotics Raises Ethical Questions
With drug-resistant bacteria on the rise, clinical trials are being undertaken to determine whether antibiotics can be used less often for shorter durations without sacrificing clinical effect. Attempts to answer that question raise ethical issues of their own.
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Healthcare Workers Fired for Refusing Flu Shots Win Legal Fight
The case could have implications for the increasing number of hospitals requiring influenza vaccination as a condition of employment, as the hospital agreed to compensate the workers some $300,000 for lost wages and compensatory damages after the EEOC filed suit in September 2016.
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CDC Updating HCW Infection Control Guidelines
Infection preventionists who work closely with employee health colleagues — or wear the proverbial “two hats” for both jobs — should be aware that the CDC is updating its 1998 “Guideline for Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel.”
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A New Focus on PPE Compliance
Considering widespread problems with personal protective equipment reported during the Ebola outbreak, the CDC is assessing ways to better train and observe workers using PPE.
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Is Infection Prevention a Bipartisan Issue? APIC Urges IP Advocacy
While the current political landscape is certainly unpredictable, APIC has several key legislative issues that should have bipartisan appeal. Foremost among these is support of antibiotic stewardship programs to prevent the fading efficacy of drugs against an increasing array of resistant bacterial infections.
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VRE and MRSA: Should We Stop Routine Contact Precautions?
SYNOPSIS: The value of routine contact precautions for VRE and MRSA is strongly challenged.