BackgroundThe rapid development of medical care innovations and the use of newer technologies have resulted in a significant rise in the quantity of waste produced per patient within healthcare facilities. Biomedical waste in particular has emerged as a pressing concern due to its inherent propensity to pose health hazards and cause environmental harm. The World Health Organization has identified a lack of knowledge and training as primary factors contributing to the failure of Biomedical waste management (BMWM). Thus, our study sought to examine the relationship between BMWM level of knowledge and prior training among healthcare professionals (HCPs) in four different regions in Saudi Arabia. MethodsOur study used a cross-sectional design to investigate the BMWM level of knowledge and prior training among HCPs in four different regions in Saudi Arabia. Multiple linear and logistic regression was used to assess if MBWM knowledge and prior tanning are significantly associated with the demographics and professional characteristics of HCPs. Results501 HCPs participated in the study. More than half were male, the majority fell within the age range of 24 to 36 years and held a bachelor's degree. The level of BMWM knowledge among HCPs was moderate (M = 31.14, SD = 4.89) and positively associated with HCPs' prior training in BMWM, workplace environment, and overall experience in the field. Only 26% of the HCPs had received prior BMWM training, and it varied considerably by sex, geographic location, and professional experience. ConclusionsOur study demonstrates a moderate knowledge and lack of training in BMWM among HCPs in Saudi Arabia. Thus, we recommend a national strategy for incorporating infection prevention and control methods associated with BMWM into all healthcare programs. Furthermore, it is imperative for health officials to enact prompt and efficient surveillance measures, as well as conduct frequent training sessions for HCPs and support personnel.

BackgroundIn December 2022, the epidemic prevention and control policy was upgraded and China came to a different stage of epidemic control. There have been no studies from the perspective of infection prevention and control practitioners (HIPCP) about the historic surge. ObjectiveTo understand the needs of the healthcare system during the epidemic and to identify implications for better healthcare supply and infection control in the future. MethodsA longitudinal quantitative and qualitative study was performed based on two comprehensive questionnaire surveys among 497 HIPCPs before and during the epidemic peak in Tianjin, China. ResultsThe workload (8.2 hours vs 10.14 hours, P = 0) and self-reported mental health problems (23.5% vs. 61.8%, P < 0.05) among the HIPCPs increased significantly in the peak period. Ward reconstruction and resource coordination were the most needed jobs in hospital infection control, and rapidly increased medical waste during the epidemic needs to be considered in advance. Community support for healthcare personnel and their families, maintaining full PPE to reduce simultaneous infection of medical staff, and clinical training of infectious diseases for medical staff, especially doctors in advance are the most important things we learned. ConclusionAlthough it has been four years since the first outbreak of COVID-19, more improvements should be made to prepare for the next wave of COVID-19 or other diseases.

The Alabama Long-Term Care Strike Team was established in 2022 to help long-term care facilities (LTCFs) build and maintain infection prevention and control (IPC) systems. Infection preventionists use CDC’s Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) tools to provide IPC-specific recommendations. Analysis of ICAR recommendations identified the three greatest training needs in Alabama: source control, hand hygiene, and environmental cleaning. The ICAR provides a standardized and objective way to monitor and mitigate IPC risk.

ObjectiveBlood cultures (BCx) are important for selecting appropriate antibiotic treatment. Ordering BCx for conditions with a low probability of bacteremia has limited utility, thus improved guidance for ordering BCx is needed. Inpatient studies have implemented BCx algorithms, but no studies examine the intervention in an Emergency Department (ED) setting. MethodsWe performed a quasi-experimental pre-/post-intervention study from 12/1/2020 to 10/31/2023 at a single academic adult ED and implemented a BCx algorithm. The primary outcome was the blood culture event rates (BCE per 100 ED admissions) pre- and post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included adverse event rates (30-day ED and hospital readmission and antibiotic days of therapy). Seven ED physicians/APP reviewed BCx for appropriateness, with monthly feedback provided to ED leadership and physicians. ResultsAfter BCx algorithm implementation, the BCE rate decreased from 12.17 BCE/100 ED admissions to 10.50 BCE/100 ED admissions. Of the 3,478 reviewed BCE, we adjudicated 2153 BCE (62%) as appropriate, 653 (19%) as inappropriate, and 672 (19%) as uncertain. Adverse safety events were not statistically different pre/post-intervention. ConclusionImplementation of an ED BCx algorithm demonstrated a reduction in BCE, without increased adverse safety events. Future studies should compare outcomes of BCx algorithm implementation in a community hospital ED without intensive chart review.

BackgroundUnderstanding the epidemiology of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii complex (CRAB) and the patients impacted is an important step towards informing better infection prevention and control practices and improving public health response. MethodsActive, population-based surveillance was conducted for CRAB in 9 U.S. sites from January 1-December 31, 2019. Medical records were reviewed, isolates were collected and characterized including antimicrobial susceptibility testing and whole genome sequencing. ResultsAmong 136 incident cases in 2019, 66 isolates were collected and characterized; 56.5% were from cases who were male, 54.5% were from persons of Black or African American race with non-Hispanic ethnicity, and the median age was 63.5 years. Most isolates, 77.2%, were isolated from urine, and 50.0% were collected in the outpatient setting; 72.7% of isolates harbored an acquired carbapenemase gene (aCP), predominantly blaOXA-23 or blaOXA-24/40; however, an isolate with blaNDM was identified. The antimicrobial agent with the most in vitro activity was cefiderocol (96.9% of isolates were susceptible). ConclusionsOur surveillance found that CRAB isolates in the U.S. commonly harbor an aCP, have an antimicrobial susceptibility profile that is defined as difficult-to-treat resistance, and epidemiologically are similar regardless of the presence of an aCP.

BackgroundRepeat departmental-wide surveys are commonly employed for infection-control. There remains debate concerning their cost-effectiveness. Aim of the studyTo measure the impact of repeat departmental-wide surveys in major in-patient departments (IPD) and ambulatory facilities (AF) in a tertiary care hospital. DesignRetrospective study of 138 surveys conducted in 96 departments over a five-year period. MethodsTwo itemized questionnaires were designed to assess the most frequently inadequately-adhered-to infection control measures: one for IPD (with 21 items), the other for AF (with 17 items). ResultsA total of 72 surveys were conducted in 49 IPDs, of which 39 (54%) were repeat surveys, and 66 surveys in 47 AFs, of which 33 (50%) were repeat surveys. The baseline rate of adherence/department was 71%±14 for the IPD, with an increase from the first to the last survey to 82%±13 (p=0.037). In 15/21 measured infection control items, adherence improved.Adherence to infection control items was lower at baseline in the AFs than in the IPDs (63±27), with an increase to 76±20 (NS). Although adherence improved for nine items, it deteriorated in another eight, producing an overall statistically unchanged outcome. ConclusionRepeat whole-department surveys contribute moderately to increased adherence to infection control guidelines. Ambulatory facilities demonstrate lower rates of adherence to infection control guidelines and are less receptive to educational measures.

Surgical site infection (SSI) rates are higher in low-resource countries (LRC) than in high-income counterparts. Prospective cohort study using the INICC Surveillance Online System, from 116 hospitals in 75 cities across 25 Latin-American, Asian, Eastern-European, and Middle-Eastern countries: Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Honduras, India, Kosovo, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, Venezuela, Vietnam. CDC/NHSN definitions were applied. Surgical procedures (SPs) were categorized according to the International Classification of Diseases criteria. From 2014 to 2023, we collected data on 1,251 SSIs associated with 56,617 SPs. SSI rates were significantly higher in SPs of INICC compared to CDC/NHSN data: hip prosthesis (3.68% vs 0.67%, relative risk [RR]=5.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.71-8.03, P<.001), knee prosthesis (2.02% vs 0.58%, RR=3.49, 95% CI=1.87-6.49, P<.001), coronary artery bypass (4.16% vs 1.37%, RR=3.03, 95% CI=2.35-3.91, P<.001), peripheral vascular bypass (15.69% vs 2.93%, RR=5.35, 95% CI=2.30-12.48, P<.001), abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (8.51% vs 2.12%, RR=4.02, 95% CI=2.11-7.65, P<.001), spinal fusion (6.47% vs 0.70%, RR=9.27, 95% CI=6.21-13.84, P<.001), laminectomy (2.68% vs 0.72%, RR=3.75, 95% CI=2.36-5.95, P<.001), among others. Elevated SSI rates in LRCs emphasize the need for effective interventions.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models (LLMs) hold largely untapped potential in infectious disease management. This review explores their current use and uncovers areas needing more attention. This analysis followed systematic review procedures, registered with the Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. We conducted a search across major databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus, up to December 2023, using keywords related to NLP, LLM, and infectious diseases. We also employed the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool for evaluating the quality and robustness of the included studies. Our review identified 15 studies with diverse applications of NLP in infectious disease management. Notable examples include GPT-4's application in detecting urinary tract infections and BERTweet's use in Lyme Disease surveillance through social media analysis. These models demonstrated effective disease monitoring and public health tracking capabilities. However, the effectiveness varied across studies. For instance, while some NLP tools showed high accuracy in pneumonia detection and high sensitivity in identifying invasive mold diseases from medical reports, others fell short in areas like bloodstream infection management. This review highlights the yet-to-be-fully-realized promise of NLP and LLMs in infectious disease management. It calls for more exploration to fully harness AI's capabilities, particularly in the areas of diagnosis, surveillance, predicting disease courses, and tracking epidemiological trends.

Robot-assisted total joint arthroplasty (robotic-TJA) has become more widespread over the last 20 years due to higher patient satisfaction and reduced complications. However, robotic TJA may have longer operative times and increased operating room traffic, which are known risk factors for contamination events. Contamination of surgical instruments may be contact- or airborne-related with documented scalpel blade contamination rates up to 9%. The robot arm is a novel instrument that comes in and out of the surgical field, so our objective was to assess whether the robot arm is a source of contamination when used in robotic TJA compared to other surgical instruments. This was a prospective, single-institution, single-surgeon pilot study involving 103 robotic TJAs. The robot arm was swabbed prior to incision and after closure. Pre- and postoperative control swabs were also collected from the suction tip and scalpel blade. Swabs were incubated for 24hours on tryptic soy agar followed by inspection for growth of any contaminating bacteria. A contamination event was detected in 10 cases (10%). The scalpel blade was the most common site of contamination (8%) followed by the robot arm (2%) and suction tip (0%). Robotic TJA is contaminated with bacteria at a rate around 10%. Although the robot arm is an additional source of potential contamination, the robot arm accrues bacterial contamination infrequently compared to the scalpel blade. Contamination of the robot arm during robotic TJA is minimal when compared to contamination of the scalpel blade.

The National Clinician Consultation Center operates the Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Hotline (PEPline), a federally-funded educational resource providing bloodborne pathogen exposure management teleconsultation to US clinicians. Sixty-seven thousand one hundred nine occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) consultations (January 2014 to December 2022) were retrospectively analyzed to describe PEPline utilization and common inquiries addressed by National Clinician Consultation Center consultants. Most calls involved percutaneous incidents (70%); blood was the most common body fluid discussed (60%). Inpatient units were the most common exposure setting (35%) and licensed nursing professionals were the most common category of exposed workers (28%). Of 2,295 calls where workers had already initiated PEP for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and time to first dose was known, 9% had initiated HIV PEP within 2hours of exposure; almost 80% had initiated HIV PEP between 2 and 24hours; 3% after 24 to 36hours; 5% after 36 to 72hours; and 2% after 72hours. Calls from urgent care providers increased by 10% over time. Overall, more than 90% of callers requested support on risk assessment, including source person testing; other common questions involved PEP side effects and follow-up care. PEPline consultations can help raise awareness about PEP availability and timely initiation, and reduce stigma by addressing common misperceptions about bloodborne pathogen transmission mechanisms and likelihood, particularly regarding HIV.