Lindsey M. Weiner

State of Infection Prevention in US Hospitals Enrolled in the National Health and Safety Network

BACKGROUND This report provides a national cross-sectional snapshot of infection prevention and control programs and clinician compliance with the implementation of processes to prevent health care-associated infections (HAIs) in intensive care units (ICUs). METHODS All hospitals, except Veterans Affairs hospitals, enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) were eligible to participate. Participation involved completing a survey assessing the presence of evidence-based prevention policies and clinician adherence and joining our NHSN research group. Descriptive statistics were computed. Facility characteristics and HAI rates by ICU type were compared between respondents and nonrespondents. RESULTS Of the 3,374 eligible hospitals, 975 provided data (29% response rate) on 1,653 ICUs, and there were complete data on the presence of policies in 1,534 ICUs. The average number of infection preventionists (IPs) per 100 beds was 1.2. Certification of IP staff varied across institutions, and the average hours per week devoted to data management and secretarial support were generally low. There was variation in the presence of policies and clinician adherence to these policies. There were no differences in HAI rates between respondents and nonrespondents. CONCLUSIONS Guidelines for IP staffing in acute care hospitals need to be updated. In future work, we will analyze the associations between HAI rates and infection prevention and control program characteristics, as well as the inplementation of and clinician adherence to evidence-based policies.

Antibiotic Stewardship Programs in U.S. Acute Care Hospitals: Findings From the 2014 National Healthcare Safety Network Annual Hospital Survey

BACKGROUND The National Action Plan to Combat Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria calls for all US hospitals to improve antibiotic prescribing as a key prevention strategy for resistance and Clostridium difficile Antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) will be important in this effort but implementation is not well understood. METHODS We analyzed the 2014 National Healthcare Safety Network Annual Hospital Survey to describe ASPs in US acute care hospitals as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Core Elements for Hospital ASPs. Univariate analyses were used to assess stewardship infrastructure and practices by facility characteristics and a multivariate model determined factors associated with meeting all ASP core elements. RESULTS Among 4184 US hospitals, 39% reported having an ASP that met all 7 core elements. Although hospitals with greater than 200 beds (59%) were more likely to have ASPs, 1 in 4 (25%) of hospitals with less than 50 beds reported achieving all 7 CDC-defined core elements of a comprehensive ASP. The percent of hospitals in each state that reported all seven elements ranged from 7% to 58%. In the multivariate model, written support (adjusted relative risk [RR] 7.2 [95% confidence interval [CI], 6.2-8.4]; P < .0001) or salary support (adjusted RR 1.5 [95% CI, 1.4-1.6]; P < .0001) were significantly associated with having a comprehensive ASP. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that ASP implementation varies across the United States and provide a baseline to monitor progress toward national goals. Comprehensive ASPs can be established in facilities of any size and hospital leadership support for antibiotic stewardship appears to drive the establishment of ASPs.

Pathogen distribution and antimicrobial resistance among pediatric healthcare-associated infections reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network, 2011-2014

OBJECTIVE To describe pathogen distribution and antimicrobial resistance patterns for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) from pediatric locations during 2011-2014. METHODS Device-associated infection data were analyzed for central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and surgical site infection (SSI). Pooled mean percentage resistance was calculated for a variety of pathogen-antimicrobial resistance pattern combinations and was stratified by location for device-associated infections (neonatal intensive care units [NICUs], pediatric intensive care units [PICUs], pediatric oncology and pediatric wards) and by surgery type for SSIs. RESULTS From 2011 to 2014, 1,003 hospitals reported 20,390 pediatric HAIs and 22,323 associated pathogens to the NHSN. Among all HAIs, the following pathogens accounted for more than 60% of those reported: Staphylococcus aureus (17%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (17%), Escherichia coli (11%), Klebsiella pneumoniae and/or oxytoca (9%), and Enterococcus faecalis (8%). Among device-associated infections, resistance was generally lower in NICUs than in other locations. For several pathogens, resistance was greater in pediatric wards than in PICUs. The proportion of organisms resistant to carbapenems was low overall but reached approximately 20% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa from CLABSIs and CAUTIs in some locations. Among SSIs, antimicrobial resistance patterns were similar across surgical procedure types for most pathogens. CONCLUSION This report is the first pediatric-specific description of antimicrobial resistance data reported to the NHSN. Reporting of pediatric-specific HAIs and antimicrobial resistance data will help identify priority targets for infection control and antimicrobial stewardship activities in facilities that provide care for children. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:1-11.

Policies for Controlling Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in US Healthcare Facilities Reporting to the National Healthcare Safety Network, 2014.

We examined reported policies for the control of common multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in US healthcare facilities using data from the National Healthcare Safety Network Annual Facility Survey. Policies for the use of Contact Precautions were commonly reported. Chlorhexidine bathing for preventing MDRO transmission was also common among acute care hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016:1-4.

Vital Signs: Preventing Antibiotic-Resistant Infections in Hospitals - United States, 2014.

Healthcare‐associated antibiotic‐resistant (AR) infections increase patient morbidity and mortality and might be impossible to successfully treat with any antibiotic. CDC assessed healthcare‐associated infections (HAI), including Clostridium difficile infections (CDI), and the role of six AR bacteria of highest concern nationwide in several types of healthcare facilities.

Vital Signs : Containment of novel multidrug-resistant organisms and resistance mechanisms — United States, 2006–2017

Background Approaches to controlling emerging antibiotic resistance in health care settings have evolved over time. When resistance to broad-spectrum antimicrobials mediated by extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) arose in the 1980s, targeted interventions to slow spread were not widely promoted. However, when Enterobacteriaceae with carbapenemases that confer resistance to carbapenem antibiotics emerged, directed control efforts were recommended. These distinct approaches could have resulted in differences in spread of these two pathogens. CDC evaluated these possible changes along with initial findings of an enhanced antibiotic resistance detection and control strategy that builds on interventions developed to control carbapenem resistance. Methods Infection data from the National Healthcare Safety Network from 2006–2015 were analyzed to calculate changes in the annual proportion of selected pathogens that were nonsusceptible to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESBL phenotype) or resistant to carbapenems (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae [CRE]). Testing results for CRE and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) are also reported. Results The percentage of ESBL phenotype Enterobacteriaceae decreased by 2% per year (risk ratio [RR] = 0.98, p<0.001); by comparison, the CRE percentage decreased by 15% per year (RR = 0.85, p<0.01). From January to September 2017, carbapenemase testing was performed for 4,442 CRE and 1,334 CRPA isolates; 32% and 1.9%, respectively, were carbapenemase producers. In response, 1,489 screening tests were performed to identify asymptomatic carriers; 171 (11%) were positive. Conclusions The proportion of Enterobacteriaceae infections that were CRE remained lower and decreased more over time than the proportion that were ESBL phenotype. This difference might be explained by the more directed control efforts implemented to slow transmission of CRE than those applied for ESBL-producing strains. Increased detection and aggressive early response to emerging antibiotic resistance threats have the potential to slow further spread.

Antifungal Susceptibility Testing Practices at Acute Care Hospitals Enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, 2011–2015

Abstract We assessed availability of antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) at nearly 4000 acute care hospitals enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network. In 2015, 95% offered any AFST, 28% offered AFST at their own laboratory or at an affiliated medical center, and 33% offered reflexive AFST. Availability of AFST improved from 2011 to 2015, but substantial gaps exist in the availability of AFST.

Hospital microbiology laboratory practices for Enterobacteriaceae: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) annual survey, 2015 and 2016

We analyzed clinical microbiology laboratory practices for detection of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in US short-stay acute-care hospitals using data from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Annual Facility Survey. Half of hospitals reported testing for carbapenemases, and 1% performed routine polymyxin susceptibility testing using reference broth microdilution.

853Pathogen Distribution and Selected Resistance Profiles of Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Isolates Reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network from Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units, 2011-2013

Background. Previous antimicrobial resistance (AR) reports from the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) have aggregated data across intensive care unit (ICU) types. Pediatric specific data are needed to guide prevention. We describe central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) pathogens and AR in pediatric and neonatal ICUs (PICUs and NICUs). Methods. Among pathogens implicated in CLABSIs and reported with antimicrobial susceptibility test results to NHSN for the years 2011-2013, proportions testing resistant (R) or nonsusceptible (NS) to ampicillin (AMP-R), methicillin (MR), carbapenems (imipenem, meropenem or doripenem, CARB-NS), extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC-NS), and fluconazole (FLC-R) were determined. Log binomial regression was used to detect differences in %R/NS between ICU types. Results. 2472 CLABSI due to 2797 organisms were reported from 320 PICUs, and 5720 CLABSI due to 6121 organisms were reported from 734 NICUs. Pathogen distribution differed in the 2 unit types (Table); staphylococci caused 54% of NICU CLABSI as compared to 29% of PICU CLABSI. Although proportions of resistant S. aureus, Enterococcus and Candida spp. were similar in the 2 ICU types, ESC-NS among Enterobacteriaceae causing CLABSI was significantly more common in the PICU than the NICU.