Holiday Decorations, Part 2: They’re Nice But Not if They Spread Infection
Is this the year when hospitals can finally embrace decorating again? Maybe not. Hospitals beds this winter are being filled across the country due to a rise in COVID-19 cases as well as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus cases that are hitting children particularly hard.
CMS Posts Reminder to Maintain COVID-19, Flu Protections
In a Quality, Safety & Oversight Group memo to survey offices nationwide, CMS said “all providers and suppliers should continue to implement appropriate infection control protocols for COVID-19,” as well as the flu, and included links to CDC guidance on both.
Second Year of Coronavirus Pandemic Took Heavy Toll on Clinicians
The new study, which was published last week by JAMA Health Forum, is based on survey data collected from more than 20,000 clinicians. The survey data was collected between February 2019 and December 2021.
Researchers Link 266K Avertable Deaths to COVID Vaccination Rates
The rate of COVID mortality in the nation’s 10 least-vaccinated states – 145 per 100,000 population — was nearly double the COVID mortality rate of the 10 most-vaccinated states (74.5/100,000), according to the letter which was published Friday in JAMA Network.
Employee Contact Tracing Helps Mount Sinai Control COVID-19 Spread
Writing in the November issue of The Lancet Digital Health, researchers form the New York-based health system describe the creation of the Mount Sinai Employee Health COVID-19 REDCap Registry, a cloud-based digital framework using a web application known as Research Electronic Data Capture.
Navigating Our Way out of the Acute Pandemic Hand Hygiene Slump: A Back-to-Basics Approach
While hand hygiene is the most foundational practice, it is also one of the most difficult to improve. Educating a workforce on hand hygiene—which many frontline caregivers should be performing dozens, if not a hundred times per day—is a significant challenge.
13.9% of Adults Who Test Positive for COVID-19 Experience Long COVID, Study Finds
The new research article, which was published by JAMA Network Open, features survey data collected from more than 16,000 adults who experienced a test-confirmed COVID-19 illness.
CMS Revises COVID-19 Vaccination Memos to Combine Survey Instructions as Infection Rates Decline
One of the revisions, highlighted in red, notes that “egregious noncompliance” such as more than half the staff unvaccinated, will be cited as a condition level deficiency. Instances of noncompliance where “good faith” efforts to comply are ongoing would only be a standard-level deficiency.
PSQH Quick Poll 2022: Taking the Pulse of Infection Prevention Efforts
As part of PSQH’s celebration of International Infection Prevention Week, we decided to reach out to our readers with a few questions to find out the state of infection prevention efforts. The Quick Poll had a total of 209 respondents.
PHE Renewed Again but Start Planning Now for Flexibility to End
The next renewal date would be on or before Wednesday, January 11, 2023. Just before the PHE was renewed in October, CMS published a blog “Creating a Roadmap for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency,” with attached links to memos about the waivers for each provider type.