Infection Control

The CDC and medical associations have released several new guidelines on infection prevention and control this year.

As the U.S. enters respiratory virus season, some hospitals have already begun to bring back mask mandates — but others are watching trends and waiting to make that determination. 

One month after Baton Rouge, La.-based Our Lady of the Lake Health deployed a new diagnostic tool capable of detecting sepsis within 10 minutes, physicians told Becker's it has already helped clinical teams prioritize faster care for 15 at-risk individuals. 

Researchers used a virus to treat patients with an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection and found good clinical outcomes in 86.6 percent of patients.

A new study suggests hospitals should test all patients for COVID-19 upon admission as an infection control measure to prevent hospital-onset cases when community infection rates are high. 

A group of five medical societies released new recommendations aimed at preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections in acute care hospitals Aug. 25.

CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, detailed the agency's launch of a new hospital program focused on enhancing sepsis care and improving patient outcomes, during an Aug. 24 CDC press call. 

This fall will mark the first virus season since COVID-19 emerged in which hospitals and health systems must independently determine when and how to implement universal masking, if at all. 

Kaiser Permanente is reintroducing a mask mandate at its facilities in Santa Rosa, Calif., amid an uptick in patients testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement obtained by The Press Democrat. 

Clark Memorial Health in Jeffersonville, Ind., is notifying patients of a potential exposure to tuberculosis after one of its employees recently tested positive for the disease, the News and Tribune reported Aug. 22.