Pandemic Control Practices Cut Health Care-Acquired Infections

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Strict infection prevention and control (IPC) measures enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decrease in many hospital-associated infections (HAIs), according to a study published online Oct. 4 in the American Journal of Infection Control.

Rita Wilson Dib, M.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues evaluated the effect of enhanced IPC practices on the occurrence of various HAIs. The analysis included incidence rates (IRs) of HAIs for Clostridioides difficile infection, multidrug-resistant organisms, respiratory viral infections (RVIs), and device-related infections at a comprehensive cancer center (September 2016 through March 2022).

The researchers found that the IR across all multidrug-resistant organisms was similar. There was a decrease in the IR of central line-associated bloodstream infections and a stable IR of catheter-associated urinary tract infections. There was a significant decrease seen in the IR of C. difficile infection. There was a decrease in total IR of nosocomial RVIs, as well as for each respiratory virus. For COVID-19 community surge versus nonsurge periods, there was similar IR of nosocomial RVIs, except for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza. Compared with non-COVID-19 wards, multidrug-resistant organisms were five times more likely to occur on the COVID-19 wards.

"The encouraging findings from this study suggest that prioritizing and investing in evidence-based IPC practices can reduce HAIs, even among particularly vulnerable populations during extreme situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic," Patricia Jackson, R.N., president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control, said in a statement.

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