Compliance with antimicrobial stewardship guidelines in surgery: an observational, multidisciplinary, cohort study.

Purpose: Antimicrobial stewardship aims to improve clinical outcomes while reducing the unintended effects of antimicrobial use. The use of antibiotics in surgical wards, except for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis, has been poorly documented. Our goal was to assess the rate of compliance with the guidelines of antibiotic prescriptions in surgical wards.

Prioritizing isolation precautions: a patient-centered approach to infection prevention and control.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens present significant challenges to global health, exacerbated by emerging threats such as SARS-CoV-2 and the growing immunocompromised population. While isolation precautions are critical for infection prevention and control (IPC), their indiscriminate application can strain resources and impact patient well-being. This review proposes a patient-centered framework for optimizing isolation strategies by integrating pathogen-related factors, individual patient risks, and healthcare facility resources to optimize isolation precautions.

Cultural differences in attitudes towards surgical site infections among French anesthetists and surgeons in digestive surgery in 2022.

Background: Although it generates a significant burden, little attention has been paid to preventing Surgical Site Infection (SSI) in digestive surgery.

Objective: This study explored the factors underpinning anesthetists' and surgeons' attitudes toward SSI prevention in digestive surgery, focusing on their perceptions of SSI, preventive measures, guidelines, and cooperation across both specialties.

Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 surgeons and 19 anesthetists working in digestive surgery.

National expert consensus on the management of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical patients with a penicillin allergy label based on the Delphi method.

Background: Patients with a penicillin allergy label have an increased risk of surgical site infection. Although a decision tree was published in 2019 to define which patients could benefit from direct cephalosporin use in the perioperative setting, this strategy remains unvalidated. This consensus statement aimed to adapt it based on an expert consensus to cover persisting caveats and to adapt it to an environment with poor allergist resources.

Exploration of interprofessional collaboration for the diagnosis of infections and antibiotic prescription in nursing homes using multiple case study observational research.

Background: Antibiotic resistance in nursing homes (NHs) is inconsistently tackled by antimicrobial stewardship programmes. The literature on individual determinants of antibiotic prescriptions (APs) in NHs is extensive. However, less is known about the structural determinants of AP in NHs.

Hospital outbreak of NDM-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a surgical intensive care unit: Sink traps as the causing source of epidemic strain resurgence.

We report the management of a New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreak in a surgical intensive care unit over 1 year. New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales were isolated from sink traps. The installation of new sink traps closed the outbreak.

Assessment of co-resistance to antibiotics recommended for acute pyelonephritis among Escherichia coli clinical strains from community- and nursing home-acquired urinary tract infections.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the frequency of co-resistance to antibiotics recommended in acute pyelonephritis among Escherichia coli clinical strains isolated from urinary tract infections (UTIs) acquired in community or nursing homes (NHs), and to identify situations without alternatives to fluoroquinolones (FQs).

Methods: All antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results of E. coli culture-positive urine samples from females living in the community or in NHs, collected through a large network of clinical laboratories in 2020 in France, were included.

Implementation of a Clinical Decision Support System for Antimicrobial Prescribing in Sub-Saharan Africa: Multisectoral Qualitative Study.

Background: Suboptimal use of antimicrobials is a driver of antimicrobial resistance in West Africa. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) can facilitate access to updated and reliable recommendations.

Objective: This study aimed to assess contextual factors that could facilitate the implementation of a CDSS for antimicrobial prescribing in West Africa and Central Africa and to identify tailored implementation strategies.

Healthcare as a driver, reservoir and amplifier of antimicrobial resistance: opportunities for interventions.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health challenge that threatens humans, animals and the environment. Evidence is emerging for a role of healthcare infrastructure, environments and patient pathways in promoting and maintaining AMR via direct and indirect mechanisms. Advances in vaccination and monoclonal antibody therapies together with integrated surveillance, rapid diagnostics, targeted antimicrobial therapy and infection control measures offer opportunities to address healthcare-associated AMR risks more effectively.

Assessment of implementation strategies adopted for antimicrobial stewardship interventions in long-term care facilities: a systematic review.

Background: The implementation of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) is influenced by multi-level factors (resident, organizational, and external) making their effectiveness sensitive to the implementation context.

Objectives: This study assessed the strategies adopted for the implementation of AMS interventions in LTCFs, whether they considered organizational characteristics, and their effectiveness.

Data Sources: Electronic databases until April 2022.

Erratum: Considerations for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers - CORRIGENDUM.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1017/ash.2023.

Improving care safety by characterizing task interruptions during interactions between healthcare professionals: an observational study.

Few studies have investigated interruptions to the work of professionals practicing in inpatient hospitals, and even fewer take account of the functions that make up the system. Safety of care can be improved by considering avoidable interruptions during interactions between managerial and care delivery functions. The present study describes the characteristics of interruptions to the work of professionals working in the inpatient hospital sector, with respect to their typology, frequency, duration, and avoidability in the context of interactions between functions.

Considerations for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers.

Three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, better knowledge on the transmission of respiratory viral infections (RVI) including the contribution of asymptomatic infections encouraged most healthcare centers to implement universal masking. The evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology and improved immunization of the population call for the infection and prevention control community to revisit the masking strategy in healthcare. In this narrative review, we consider factors for de-escalating universal masking in healthcare centers, addressing compliance with the mask policy, local epidemiology, the level of protection provided by medical face masks, the consequences of absenteeism and presenteeism, as well as logistics, costs, and ecological impact.

Revisiting the personal protective equipment components of transmission-based precautions for the prevention of COVID-19 and other respiratory virus infections in healthcare.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some potential limitations of transmission-based precautions. The distinction between transmission through large droplets vs aerosols, which have been fundamental concepts guiding infection control measures, has been questioned, leading to considerable variation in expert recommendations on transmission-based precautions for COVID-19. Furthermore, the application of elements of contact precautions, such as the use of gloves and gowns, is based on low-quality and inconclusive evidence and may have unintended consequences, such as increased incidence of healthcare-associated infections and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms.

Qualitative assessment of the national initiative to implement antimicrobial stewardship centres in French administrative regions.

Background: In May 2020, the French Ministry of Health funded the creation of regional antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) coordination centres (CRAtb) in preparation for the new national framework for the prevention of antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to assess through qualitative methods the implementation process, the activities carried out, and the interactions with other regional stakeholders of the newly created CRAtb.

Methods: We conducted a mixed-method study based on a cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews by French regions among implemented CRAtb.

Innovation for infection prevention and control-revisiting Pasteur's vision.

Louis Pasteur has long been heralded as one of the fathers of microbiology and immunology. Less known is Pasteur's vision on infection prevention and control (IPC) that drove current infection control, public health, and much of modern medicine and surgery. In this Review, we revisited Pasteur's pioneering works to assess progress and challenges in the process and technological innovation of IPC.

An evaluation of the implementation of interventions to reduce postoperative infections and optimise antibiotic use across the surgical pathway in India: a mixed-methods exploratory study protocol.

Introduction: Postoperative infections represent a significant burden of disease, demanding antibiotic prescriptions, and are contributing to antimicrobial resistance. The burden of infection as a surgical complication is greater in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We report the protocol of a pilot study for the co-design, implementation and evaluation of two infection prevention and control (IPC) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions across the surgical pathway in a teaching hospital in India.

Cross-site collaboration on infection prevention and control research-room for improvement? A 7-year comparative study in five European countries.

Background: The spread of SARS-CoV-2, multidrug-resistant organisms and other healthcare-associated pathogens represents supra-regional challenges for infection prevention and control (IPC) specialists in every European country. To tackle these problems, cross-site research collaboration of IPC specialists is very important. This study assesses the extent and quality of national research collaborations of IPC departments of university hospitals located in Austria, England, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, identifies network gaps, and provides potential solutions.