Rural infection preventionists’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from focus groups conducted with association of professionals in infection control & epidemiology (APIC) members

OBJECTIVETo develop an automated method for ventilator-associated condition (VAC) surveillance and to compare its accuracy and efficiency with manual VAC surveillanceSETTINGThe intensive care units (ICUs) of 4 hospitalsMETHODSThis study was conducted at Detroit Medical Center, a tertiary care center in metropolitan Detroit. A total of 128 ICU beds in 4 acute care hospitals were included during the study period from August to October 2013. The automated VAC algorithm was implemented and utilized for 1 month by all study hospitals. Simultaneous manual VAC surveillance was conducted by 2 infection preventionists and 1 infection control fellow who were blinded to each another’s findings and to the automated VAC algorithm results. The VACs identified by the 2 surveillance processes were compared.RESULTSDuring the study period, 110 patients from all the included hospitals were mechanically ventilated and were evaluated for VAC for a total of 992 mechanical ventilation days. The automated VAC algorithm identified 39 VACs with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of 100%. In comparison, the combined efforts of the IPs and the infection control fellow detected 58.9% of VACs, with 59% sensitivity, 99% specificity, 91% PPV, and 92% NPV. Moreover, the automated VAC algorithm was extremely efficient, requiring only 1 minute to detect VACs over a 1-month period, compared to 60.7 minutes using manual surveillance.CONCLUSIONSThe automated VAC algorithm is efficient and accurate and is ready to be used routinely for VAC surveillance. Furthermore, its implementation can optimize the sensitivity and specificity of VAC identification.Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;36(9):999–1003

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Competency of Infection Preventionists in Japan

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2020.1195 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. s514-s514

Author(s):

Hanako Misao ◽

Kazumi Kawakami

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Career Development ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Infection Control ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

The United States ◽

Survey Form ◽

The Mean ◽

And Control ◽

Infection Preventionists

Backgrounds: In the United States, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announced a competency model for infection preventionists (IP) in 2011. On the other hand, IPs in Japan must develop their career by themselves because there are no guidelines of career development for Japanese IPs. In recent years, infectious diseases and infection control issues have become more global. Objective: Aiming for international collaboration among IPs, the purpose of this study were to clarify the actual competencies of IPs in Japan and the United States and to compare the competencies of both. We report on the competencies of IPs in Japan. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 67 certified nurses in infection control (CNIC) who responded to the translated version of the APIC Competency Model Assessment Tool. From the qualitative descriptive analysis of interview verbatim records, we extracted the behavioral characteristics and completed the questionnaire “Survey of Competency for Infection Preventionist,” which consisted of 130 items. A survey form was created using Survey Monkey. We sent e-mails to ask anonymous survey collaboration, including the URL of the survey form, to 2,284 CNIC and CNS in infection control professionals. The research was approved by the research ethics committee at the facility to which the researcher belongs (Juntendo University, approval no. 30–49). Results: The number of responses was 648 and the response rate was 28.4%. The mean years of experience as nurses of 648 respondents was 24.7 (SD, 6.9), and >60% belonged to general hospitals. The scores of mean and standard deviation of each category were as follows: “Clarification of infectious disease process” (mean, 79.1; SD, 13.2); “HAI surveillance and epidemiological survey” (mean, 49.3; SD, 12.3); “Prevention and control of transmission of infectious microorganisms” (mean, 93.8; SD, 17.3); “Management and communication” (mean, 128.5; SD, 23.7); “Education and Research” (mean, 56.8; SD, 11.0); “Employee and occupational health” (mean, 40.6; SD, 9.6); and the total score of all categories (mean, 449.4; SD, 74.4). Based on years of experience as infection preventionists, we divided them into 3 groups: beginners, competent, and experts. As the career level increased, each category score for competency increased (ANOVA, P < .001). However, the mean scores of competency did not reach 70% of the total score for the following categories: “Prevention and control of transmission of infectious microorganisms.” “Education and research,” and “Employee and occupational health.” Conclusions: The competencies that need to be strengthened for the career development of Japanese IPs have been clarified.Funding: This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI.Disclosures: None

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Viral oncolytic immunotherapy in the war on cancer: Infection control considerations

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2018.358 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 350-354 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Elizabeth V. Robilotti ◽

Asmita Kumar ◽

Michael S. Glickman ◽

Mini Kamboj

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Horizontal Transmission ◽

Oncolytic Viruses ◽

Novel Therapy ◽

New Agents ◽

Fda Approval ◽

Ongoing Care ◽

Infection Preventionists ◽

Current Mechanism

AbstractOncolytic viral immunotherapy is an emerging treatment modality for cancer that exploits in vivo replication and other viral properties to enhance immune killing of malignant cells. The potential for horizontal transmission of native or engineered oncolytic viruses creates several unique infection control challenges. In 2015, talimogene laherparepvec (TVEC) became the first agent in this class to gain FDA approval for treatment of melanoma, and several others are being developed. Although some data on the transmissibility of TVEC are available from clinical studies, the aftermarket or real-world experience remains limited. We conducted a PUBMED-based search of the medical literature focusing on the safety and risk of TVEC transmission to close contacts including healthcare workers. The findings are summarized in this review and are intended to provide infection preventionists with practical guidance on handling issues related to administration and care of patients receiving TVEC. Additionally, we describe the current mechanism for evaluating the risk related to similar new agents entering clinical trials at our institution. Development of standarized approaches for the safe administration and precautions for ongoing care, especially in immunocompromised patients, are essential to support the broad adoption of this novel therapy.

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Infection control IV: Moving forward- infection preventionists' scope of practice

American Journal of Infection Control ◽

10.1016/j.ajic.2018.02.030 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 46 (7) ◽

pp. 734-735

Author(s):

Harold W. Horowitz

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Scope Of Practice ◽

Infection Preventionists

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P09.17 Implementation of an infection control champions project in a North American setting: feedback from focus groups

Journal of Hospital Infection ◽

10.1016/s0195-6701(10)60106-5 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 76 ◽

pp. S32

Author(s):

E. Lloyd-Smith ◽

W. Gilbart ◽

M. Romney

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Focus Groups ◽

North American

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1122. Improving Knowledge of Infectious Disease Fellows Regarding Infection Prevention & Antibiotic Stewardship Using a Multi-Faceted Approach

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa439.1308 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S591-S591

Author(s):

Mayar Al Mohajer ◽

Takei Pipkins ◽

Robert Atmar ◽

Maria Rodriguez- Barradas ◽

Edward Young ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Quality Improvement ◽

Infectious Diseases ◽

Infection Control ◽

Antibiotic Stewardship ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Surgical Site Infections ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Improvement Project ◽

Infection Preventionists

Abstract Background Infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship are critical to the safe and effective delivery of patient care. The primary objective of this fellowship rotation is to train infectious diseases fellows to develop key competencies in the fields of infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship. Methods We implemented an infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship rotation for the first-year infectious disease fellows starting July 2017. This new one-month rotation included several lectures by infectious diseases physicians, infection preventionists and pharmacists. Fellows rounded with infection preventionists (isolation, device, environmental, and endoscopy rounds) and participated in infection control subcommittees (CLABSI, CAUTI, Clostridioides difficile colitis and surgical site infections). Fellows were required to present infection control data and develop a proposal for a quality improvement project using the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (DMAIC) method. Knowledge was evaluated through a 25 item questionnaire administered before (pre) and after (post) rotation. Topics included definitions, surveillance, isolation, preventive methods, outbreak investigation, policies, antibiotic stewardship, healthcare economics, and leadership. Results Sixteen fellows have participated in the rotation (2017-2019); all completed the pre- and post- evaluations (same questionnaire). Fellows answered a mean of 11.1/25 questions correctly pre-course (SD 2.3). Scores improved significantly to a mean of 21.2/25 correct answers at the end of the course (SD 2.6, P< 0.001). All fellows presented quality improvement proposals at the end of the rotation, with a mean score of 85.7% (SD 4.6). The fellows were highly satisfied with the course with mean evaluation score 6.2/7 (88.5%). Conclusion The one month duration infection control and antibiotic stewardship rotation that provides basic training in the field at the beginning of the fellowship led to significant improvement in the fellows’ knowledge, and was very well received. An additional track has been implemented during the second year to prepare interested fellows for careers in infection control and/or antibiotic stewardship. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

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