Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

14 INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY Medical gloves, gowns often contaminated with MRSA, study finds By Gabrielle Masson M ethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contaminates intensive care unit gloves and gowns often, according to a study published Sept. 13 in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The multicenter study involved 402 MRSA patients and 3,982 interactions with healthcare providers in the intensive care unit. Researchers tested gloves and gowns after provider interac- tions with patients and sampled patients to assess ties between bacterial burden and contamination. Contamination of either gloves or gowns occurred in 16.2 per- cent of interactions. Gloves were contaminated 14.3 percent of the time, and gowns were contaminated 5.9 percent of the time. Occupational and physical therapists had the highest rates of contamination (6.96 percent), followed by respiratory therapists (5.34 percent). Providers who touched patients' endotracheal tubes and bedding — or who helped with bathing — were more likely to demonstrate MRSA contamination. Researchers also found a link between higher bacterial burden on the patient and contamination. Researchers recommend hospitals use fewer contact precau- tions for low-risk interactions and implement more precautions for higher-risk interactions. n NIH creates flu vaccine research network By Mackenzie Bean T he National Institutes of Health aims to create a more protective, longer-lasting flu vaccine through a new program called Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers. The program will entail a network of research centers that will collaborate to design new flu shot candidates and delivery platforms. The researchers will also use computer modeling, animal models and human chal- lenge trials to assess human responses to the flu. e CIVICs program includes the following participants: • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York City) • Duke University (Durham, N.C.) • University of Georgia (Athens) • University of Maryland-Baltimore School of Medicine • Digital Infuzion (Gaithersburg, Md.) The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseas- es, part of NIH, has allocated roughly $51 million to fund the program's first year. Total funding could ex- ceed $130 million over seven years, according to a news release from the University of Georgia. n While ASCs lag behind HOPDs in patient safety, both have gaps in clinician training, certification By Gabrielle Masson H ospital outpatient surgery departments have better patient safety practices than ambulatory surgery centers, but both have problems re- garding clinician certification and training, according to an Oct. 22 report fom The Leapfrog Group. Leapfrog summarized preliminary findings from two sur- veys in which 321 ASCs and 1,141 HOPDs submitted 2019 data regarding quality and safety before Aug. 31, 2019. Findings reveal that more than a third of both ASCs and HOPDs had staff performing procedures without board certification. For individuals administering anesthesia, only 71 percent of ASCs and 83 percent of HOPDs reported all staff board-certified. Almost all facilities had a clinician certified for adult life support present, but only 89 percent of ASCs and 96 percent of HOPDs with pediatric patients always had a clinician certified in pediatric life support present. Only 18 percent of ASCs had an antimicrobial stew- ardship program in place, with ASCs' patient safety practices falling behind HOPDs. While HOPDs data is currently unavailable, 93 percent of all hospitals have antimicrobial stewardship programs, the report says. ASCs are also less likely to monitor hand hygiene com- pliance than HOPDs. n

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