Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – April 1, 2022
April 1, 2022
View Issues
-
Mind the Gap: A Wary Shift from Pandemic to Endemic
As COVID-19 cases drop dramatically and public health officials relax masking guidelines based on the local situation, there is the temptation to assume the pandemic is over and is entering a broadly defined endemic phase.
-
APIC Asks Feds for Infection Prevention Reinforcements
The leading organization for infection preventionists is trying to elevate and solidify their role in healthcare after many were dislodged from traditional duties or otherwise overwhelmed during the pandemic. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology has issued a call to action report, which describes IPs as key players in pandemics and emergency response, as well as the longstanding wall between vulnerable patients and healthcare infections.
-
Misinformation Continues to Undermine Pandemic Response
Misinformation and outright lies have swept the globe during the last two years, undermining the pandemic response in hospitals and communities. In a recent call to action report, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology warned infection preventionists this phenomenon has been harmful and no doubt will occur during the next pandemic.
-
Your Brain on COVID: Damage Found in Two New Studies
Dementia and other adverse effects on the brain are occurring in some COVID-19 survivors, an ominous finding for the millions infected — even those with only mild symptoms, according to two new studies.
-
APIC Research Agenda Includes Race and HAIs
With the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic exposing widespread inequities and deep-set systemic racism in healthcare, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology is planning research to address some of these critical issues, including one proposal to design a study to determine if patients of color or non-white ethnicity are at greater risk of acquiring healthcare-associated infections.
-
OSHA Announces COVID Inspections in Hospitals, SNFs
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced a temporary increase in “focused” inspections of hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients.