The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare acquired infections with multidrug resistant organisms.

This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in four community hospitals in Los Angeles County, California. The assumption of this study was, coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) contributed to the increase in healthcare workers compliance with infection prevention measures. IP initiatives fostered among HCWs have increased awareness of effective hand washing, cleaning equipment after use and appropriate personal protective equipment use which has subsequently decreased healthcare acquired infections with multidrug-resistant organisms.

P.R.I.D.E.-preventing respiratory infectious disease exposures: An improvement project in a Northern Californian emergency room.

BACKGROUND: Preventing respiratory infectious disease exposures is a performance improvement project to reduce the incidence of occupational health exposures among health care workers. This project encouraged registered nurses to quickly identify and isolate potentially infectious patients in the emergency room, to prevent exposures to airborne and droplet transmitted communicable diseases, including meningitis, tuberculosis, and measles. METHODS: This pre- and postintervention model implemented a quasi-experimental designed project in the emergency room (ER). The Centers for Disease Control's empiric transmission-based isolation precautions were implemented to prevent occupational health exposures. Eighty registered nurses (RN's) received education on the new intervention. The assumption of this project was, the new process will decrease occupational health exposures. RESULTS: Eight ER RNs reported an occupational health exposure, preintervention in quarter 2 of 2019, compared to zero occupational health exposures, postintervention in quarter 3 of 2019. A χ² independence test was used to determine if the categorical variables of the capstone intervention and disease exposure were related in the same RN population. An association between the capstone intervention and disease exposure was observed, X2 (1) = 8.421, P = .004, indicating the result is statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The preventing respiratory infectious disease exposures project effectively reduced occupational health exposures to airborne and droplet transmitted diseases in the emergency room by 100%. These results should encourage Infection Preventionists to adapt the Centers for Disease Control's empiric transmission isolation precautions in their emergency rooms and urgent cares to prevent airborne and droplet transmitted disease exposures.