• How UCSF is bringing families into care conversations

    Transparency is key when it comes to connecting family members and caregivers – there has a been an increase in attention towards new communication tools that give families visibility into inpatients’ health status without adding stress to care teams or interrupting their workflow. 
  • CMS boosts oversight of hospitals with COVID-19 outbreaks

    CMS is investigating hospitals in which a high number of patients likely contracted COVID-19 while seeking care, part of an effort to increase oversight since relaunching routine inspections last year, Politico reported May 26.
  • CDC plans to revise hospitals' COVID-19 data reports

    The CDC will likely stop collecting hospitals' data on suspected cases of COVID-19 that have not been confirmed by tests, Bloomberg reported May 26.
  • How a layered approach to disinfection can help organizations ensure a clean environment

    Becker’s Healthcare recently spoke with Alice Brewer, director of clinical affairs for Tru-D SmartUVC, and Debra Hagberg, director of clinical affairs for PDI Healthcare, about what hospitals can do to bring their cleaning and disinfection protocols in line with best practices. Their observations suggest healthcare may be at the threshold of a new era for disinfection techniques.
  • Hospital infection rates rose and fell with COVID-19 surges in 2021: 5 findings

    Healthcare-associated infection rates fluctuated in conjunction with COVID-19 hospitalization trends in 2021, hitting a new high in the third quarter as the delta variant swept the country, according to a study published May 20 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
  • Monkeypox case reported in Massachusetts; 1st in US this year

    Massachusetts Department of Public Health officials have confirmed a case of monkeypox in a traveler who returned to the U.S. from Canada, the agency said May 18. 
  • C. auris outbreaks reported at Nevada hospitals

    The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services is investigating C. auris outbreaks at healthcare facilities across the state, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported May 17.
  • WHO launches 1st infection control report

    Healthcare facilities following good hand hygiene and other cost-effective practices can prevent 70 percent of infections, the first infection control report from the World Health Organization found. 
  • A crucial point missing from the nation's mask debate: Dr. Osterholm

    A federal judge's rejection of the nation's mask mandate for public transportation has reinvigorated a national debate often presented as a black and white issue: to mask or not. However, this discussion should be more nuanced and focus on the quality of masking, epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, PhD, said in an April 24 interview with ABC News.
  • The value of wearing a mask when others don't

    A federal judge's rejection of the nation's mask mandate for travelers taking public transportation set off a flurry of responses. 
  • C. auris outbreak halts admissions at Detroit specialty hospital

    A small specialty hospital that operates within DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit is pausing admissions due to an outbreak of the deadly, drug-resistant fungus Candida auris, the Detroit Free Press reported April 20.
  • Some hospitals relax masking rules

    Health systems are weighing and making decisions for face masks to become optional for many individuals in certain spaces. 
  • CDC mask guidelines spur confusion among hospitals

    Healthcare facilities nationwide are grappling with conflicting CDC guidelines on masking amid the pandemic, resulting in a patchwork of policies and practices, Politico reported April 5.
  • CDC updates mask guidance for N95s in hospitals

    The CDC updated its COVID-19 infection control guidance March 24 to make it clear that healthcare facilities should permit patients and visitors to wear more highly protective masks, like N95s. 
  • CMS to hospitals: Let patients, visitors wear N95s

    U.S. health officials are poised to clarify guidelines on masking practices in hospitals after reports surfaced that facilities were asking patients and visitors to swap N95 masks for surgical masks, three sources familiar with the matter told Politico.
  • Aerosolized hydrogen peroxide cuts C. diff infection risk

    Adding aerosolized hydrogen peroxide to infection prevention protocols reduces the risk of Clostridioides difficile infections in healthcare settings, according to a study published March 17 in the American Journal of Infection Control.
  • Why some hospitals ask patients, visitors to ditch N95s

    Hospitals across the country often ask patients and visitors to swap out their N95s with surgical masks in line with CDC guidelines, which public health experts say are outdated, according to Politico.
  • 10 infection control upgrades needed before next pandemic

    The U.S. needs to bolster its infection prevention and control infrastructure to prepare for future pandemics and the rise of healthcare-associated infections, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology said in a March 8 report.
  • No patient infections found from unsterile equipment, VA hospital says

    The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Ga., said it has not identified any new infections after warning more than 4,000 patients in February that they may have been exposed to improperly sterilized medical equipment, The Telegraph reported March 4.
  • 331 hospitals with lowest C. diff rates in US

    Becker's has compiled a list of all hospitals in the U.S. with the lowest Clostridioides difficile infection rates, as based on the healthcare-associated infections dataset from CMS.

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