Infection Control

Mayo Clinic eases visitor restrictions

Beginning Feb. 24, Mayo Clinic will permit two "consistent designated visitors" per adult inpatient at its flagship campus in Rochester, Minn.

Patients in contaminated hospital rooms face 27% higher C.diff risk

Patients admitted to a hospital room previously occupied by a patient infected with Clostridioides difficile had 27 percent increased odds of being diagnosed with an infection, according to findings from researchers at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.

APIC unveils new campaign as HAIs rise, calls for better infection prevention programs

With new metrics indicating rising healthcare-associated infections amid the pandemic, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is calling on healthcare organizations to assess infection prevention capacity and strengthen prevention programs.

CDC, CMS call for rebuilding health system after patient safety measures drop

As patient safety declines amid the pandemic, the U.S. must rebuild a healthcare delivery system in which safety is embedded in every step of a process, with clear metrics that are aggregated, assessed and acted on, according to an analysis…

Sharp drop in patient safety, infection control amid pandemic: 3 new findings

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, metrics tracking healthcare-associated infections and other complications of care indicate significant deterioration of multiple patient safety measures, according to an analysis published Feb. 12 by The New England Journal of Medicine.

VA hospital warns 4,000 patients of infection risk tied to unsterile equipment

Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Ga., is providing free testing for blood-borne infections to more than 4,000 patients after learning they may have been exposed to improperly sterilized medical equipment, local CBS affiliate WMAZ reports.

White-tailed deer becoming virus reservoir 'a top concern right now,' CDC official says

White-tailed deer are easily infected by the coronavirus, with some experts now concerned they may become a reservoir for the virus to mutate and spread, The New York Times reported Feb. 7.

Consistent indoor mask use cuts COVID-19 risk, real-world CDC study finds

People who report they always wear a mask or respirator in indoor public settings were less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than people who did not, according to the CDC's Feb. 4 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

'The damage is done': Experts warn about superbugs, antibiotic overuse amid pandemic

Increased misuse and overuse of antibiotics amid the pandemic may be exacerbating antibiotic resistance, according to a Jan. 28 report by National Geographic.

Hospitals are asking Leapfrog to lower hand hygiene standards — Here's why it won't

The leader of Leapfrog, as well as the head of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, discussed current hand hygiene protocols and compliance, and why hospitals may not be meeting the standards.