Category: Infection Control

Nurses station interactions may play role in hospital COVID-19 outbreaks

Hospital-associated COVID-19 infections may stem from airborne virus spread among employees and patients in hospital common areas, such as nurses stations, according to a study published June 8 in JAMA Network Open.

CMS boosts oversight of hospitals with COVID-19 outbreaks

CMS is investigating hospitals in which a high number of patients likely contracted COVID-19 while seeking care, part of an effort to increase oversight since relaunching routine inspections last year, Politico reported May 26.

CDC plans to revise hospitals’ COVID-19 data reports

The CDC will likely stop collecting hospitals’ data on suspected cases of COVID-19 that have not been confirmed by tests, Bloomberg reported May 26.

How UCSF is bringing families into care conversations

Transparency is key when it comes to connecting family members and caregivers – there has a been an increase in attention towards new communication tools that give families visibility into inpatients’ health status without adding stress to care teams o…

Hospital infection rates rose and fell with COVID-19 surges in 2021: 5 findings

Healthcare-associated infection rates fluctuated in conjunction with COVID-19 hospitalization trends in 2021, hitting a new high in the third quarter as the delta variant swept the country, according to a study published May 20 in Infection Control & H…

Monkeypox case reported in Massachusetts; 1st in US this year

Massachusetts Department of Public Health officials have confirmed a case of monkeypox in a traveler who returned to the U.S. from Canada, the agency said May 18. 

C. auris outbreaks reported at Nevada hospitals

The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services is investigating C. auris outbreaks at healthcare facilities across the state, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported May 17.

WHO launches 1st infection control report

Healthcare facilities following good hand hygiene and other cost-effective practices can prevent 70 percent of infections, the first infection control report from the World Health Organization found. 

A crucial point missing from the nation’s mask debate: Dr. Osterholm

A federal judge’s rejection of the nation’s mask mandate for public transportation has reinvigorated a national debate often presented as a black and white issue: to mask or not. However, this discussion should be more nuanced and focus on the quality …

The value of wearing a mask when others don’t

A federal judge’s rejection of the nation’s mask mandate for travelers taking public transportation set off a flurry of responses.