Infection Control
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Preparation Needed to Follow Common Rule Exemption Changes
The number of exempt determinations is increasing as IRBs and research organizations adjust to the new Common Rule’s expanded definition of what types of research are exempt from IRB review.
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Kill the Bug, Hurt the Worker
Powerful cleaning and disinfectant products are being deployed in hospitals to eradicate dangerous pathogens on environmental surfaces. Both spore-forming Clostridioides difficile and an emerging fungal strain of Candida auris require strong sporicidals to be eradicated from the hospital environment. Yet the price of protecting the patient is being exacted on healthcare workers who may have serious complications after repeated exposure to these chemicals in disinfectants.
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FDA Calls for Redesigned Scopes to Protect Patients
Conceding that conventional duodenoscopes cannot be reliably reprocessed between patients, the Food and Drug Administration is recommending that manufacturers and providers move to disposable components for the intricate devices.
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IPs Have Critical Role in Healthcare Worker Infection Guidelines
New guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect healthcare workers from infections call for infection preventionists to be key collaborators with occupational health departments.
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Antibiotic Stewardship: Glass Half Full or Nearly Empty?
Though there has been tremendous progress in antibiotic stewardship efforts over the last decade, a broad and demanding array of research and action is needed if the rise of drug-resistant bacterial infections is to be stemmed, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America reports in a new white paper.
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APIC Issues Call to Action Against Antivaccine Movement
The antivaccine movement is lobbying state legislatures to widen exemptions against childhood school immunizations and other mandates. As infection preventionists, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology has taken on the fight.
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Assessing Food Allergies in Healthcare Workers
As reflected in a survey of the general population, more than 10% of healthcare workers may have a food allergy. The study authors found a higher rate of food allergies in women. Employee health professionals may want to take note of this finding in health assessments of nursing staff.
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Researchers Find Link Between Hospital Cleaners and COPD
Exposure to disinfectants and cleaning products in the hospitals over time puts nurses at increased risk of developing COPD, investigators reported. Previously, exposure to disinfectants in healthcare workers has been associated with respiratory health outcomes, including asthma. Moreover, pathogens like spore-forming Clostridioides difficile and emerging Candida auris require strong disinfectants to remove from surfaces.
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NIOSH Updates Opioid Exposure Guidance for EMTs
The National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety has published a new toolkit with recommendations and resources for protecting EMTs and first responders from exposure to powerful illicit drugs like fentanyl.
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What the Return of Measles Means for Employee Health
As of Oct. 3, 2019, there have been 1,250 confirmed cases of measles this year in 31 states, the CDC reports. Vaccine avoidance based on misinformation and unfounded fears is the main reason for the return of this once-eradicated disease in the United States. Facing the possibility of outbreaks or chaotic introductions of even a single case, many facilities are reviewing their healthcare personnel immunity status and furlough policies for measles.