Infection Control Matters

In this weeks podcast, Brett and Phil discuss an article titled "YouTube and 2022 Monkeypox outbreak: opportunities for awareness and infection control". We discuss the opportunities and challenges of YouTube and social media with regards to infection prevention and control communication and information.

Link to the article:

Ortiz-Martinez Y, et al. YouTube and 2022 Monkeypox outbreak: opportunities for awareness and infection control. J Hosp Infect. 2022.  https://doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2022.07.00 

In this week's episode, Martin talks to Dr David Weber of  Uniiversity Hospitals South Carolina about his hospital's integrated IPC team which includes quality improvement and behaviour specialists as well as the more traditional membership. This discussion was prompted by a recent letter to Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

1. Weber DJ, et al. A new paradigm for infection prevention programs: An integrated approach. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2022:1-4.  https://doi:10.1017/ice.2022.94

2. Buchanan MO, et al. The compliance coach: A bedside observer, auditor, and educator as part of an infection prevention department's team approach for improving central line care and reducing central line-associated bloodstream infection risk. Am J Infect Control. 2019;47(1):109-111.  https://doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2018.06.005

Martin catches up with Phil Russo whilst at the APSIC meeting in Singapore and we discuss a recent paper that has looked at the experiences of IPC Teams in Australia during the pandemic. What went well and what wasn't quite so good. Links to the papers discussed are here.

1. Baswa A, et al. Experience and perspectives of infection prevention staff of the COVID-19 response in Australian hospitals. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2022;11(1):77.  https://doi:10.1186/s13756-022-01116-9

2. McGuinness SL, et al. Mental Health Outcomes in Australian Healthcare and Aged-Care Workers during the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(9).  https://doi:10.3390/ijerph19094951

3. McGuinness SL, et al. Mental Health Outcomes in Australian Healthcare and Aged-Care Workers during the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(9).  https://doi:10.3390/ijerph19094951

4. Searby A, et al. The impact of COVID-19 on nurse alcohol consumption: A qualitative exploration. J Clin Nurs. 2022.  https://doi:10.1111/jocn.16467

4. COVICS Website https://www.monash.edu/medicine/covic-ha/home

In this week's episode, Martin talks to Dr Michael Klompas, Infectious Disease physician, Hospital Epidemiologist, and Professor of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, USA. We discuss the complexities of undertaking surveillance of Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and the USA approach to looking at the wider issue of Ventilator-associated Events (VAE) that removes subjectivity from the surveillance of these important complications. We also discuss the recent SHEA/IDSA/APIC/AMA prevention strategies paper that is the latest state of the art guidance on VAP/VAE prevention.

Useful reading here:

1. Klompas M, et al. Strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia, ventilator-associated events, and nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia in acute-care hospitals: 2022 Update. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2022;43(6):687-713.  https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2022.88

2. Weinberger JF, et al. Changes in the epidemiology of ventilator-associated events over the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2021:1-3. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2021.459

3. Klompas M. Ventilator-Associated Events: What They Are and What They Are Not. Respir Care. 2019;64(8):953-961.  https://doi.org/10.4187/respcare.07059

4. Klompas M. Ventilator-associated conditions versus ventilator-associated pneumonia: different by design. Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2014;16(10):430.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11908-014-0430-0

5. Klompas M, et al. Risk of misleading ventilator-associated pneumonia rates with use of standard clinical and microbiological criteria. Clin Infect Dis. 2008;46(9):1443-1446.  https://doi.org/10.1086/587103

In this week's episode, Brett and Martin talk to Adjunct Assistant Prof Dr Kalisvar Marimuthu, who is currently a senior consultant in Infectious Diseases at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. We discuss his recent paper that notes that over 50% of transmissions occurring in healthcare result from plasmid and not colonal spread. Traditional IPC interventions seem to work for clonal transmission, however new thinking is required to tackle the problems of plasmids.

Papers we discuss are:

1. Marimuthu K, Venkatachalam I, Koh V et al. Whole genome sequencing reveals hidden transmission of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales. Nat Commun 2022; 13: 3052. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9160272/

In this week's episode, Brett and Martin caught up with Jon Otter to discuss the 'Glove or no glove' campaign currently being implemented at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals in London UK. Jon has recently blogged about this (https://reflectionsipc.com/2022/05/04/we-need-to-talk-about-gloves/), a blog always worth following if you like to read Jon's thoughts and musings on current issues in IPC.

In this week's episode, Martin Kiernan talks to Brett Mitchell about his recent paper that estimates the burden of HCAI from a prevalence study.

Papers discussed are:

Lydeamore MJ, Mitchell BG, Bucknall T, Cheng AC, Russo PL, Stewardson AJ Burden of five healthcare associated infections in Australia. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2022; 11: 69. https://aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-022-01109-8

Russo PL, Stewardson AJ, Cheng AC, Bucknall T, Mitchell BG The prevalence of healthcare associated infections among adult inpatients at nineteen large Australian acute-care public hospitals: a point prevalence survey. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2019; 8: 114. https://aricjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13756-019-0570-y

This week's podcast is a live chat recorded in Melbourne in June and features Phil Russo, Brett Mitchell and Martin Kiernan, who discuss whether we think that we are IPC experts (or not). Have a listen and make your own mind up!

A/Professor Deb Friedman is the Deputy Chief Health Officer at the Department of Health Victoria,  Australia. Prior to that she was the Medical Director of infection prevention control and response in Victoria, a key role in Victorias covid response. With an extensive history in infection prevention and control as an infectious diseases  physician Deb has played a vital role in Victoria's COVID response. In this episode, Phil Russo chats to her about her role as DCHO and her recent involvement with the arrival of monkey pox.  With her great insight Deb also shares her  views about the airborne v droplet paradigm.

In this podcast Phil Russo chats with Dr Sally Roberts, Clinical Head of Microbiology at the Auckland District Health Board, Aotearoa New Zealand. She is also the National Clinical Lead  for the Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand Infection Prevention and Control programme and recently led the recent first national point prevalent survey of healthcare associated infections across Aotearoa New Zealand. Sally tells us what led to the first ever PPS in Aotearoa New Zealand, the many challenges they endured, the major findings and how the data will be used nationally. A publication is in the making, in the meantime you can read the full Aotearoa New Zealand Health Safety and Quality report here.