A Collaborative Multicenter QI Initiative to Improve Antibiotic Stewardship in Newborns.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if NICU teams participating in a multicenter quality improvement (QI) collaborative achieve increased compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) core elements for antibiotic stewardship and demonstrate reductions in antibiotic use (AU) among newborns. METHODS: From January 2016 to December 2017, multidisciplinary teams from 146 NICUs participated in Choosing Antibiotics Wisely, an Internet-based national QI collaborative conducted by the Vermont Oxford Network consisting of interactive Web sessions, a series of 4 point-prevalence audits, and expert coaching designed to help teams test and implement the CDC core elements of antibiotic stewardship. The audits assessed unit-level adherence to the CDC core elements and collected patient-level data about AU. The AU rate was defined as the percentage of infants in the NICU receiving 1 or more antibiotics on the day of the audit. RESULTS: The percentage of NICUs implementing the CDC core elements increased in each of the 7 domains (leadership: 15.4%-68.8%; accountability: 54.5%-95%; drug expertise: 61.5%-85.1%; actions: 21.7%-72.3%; tracking: 14.7%-78%; reporting: 6.3%-17.7%; education: 32.9%-87.2%; P < .005 for all measures). The median AU rate decreased from 16.7% to 12.1% (P for trend < .0013), a 34% relative risk reduction. CONCLUSIONS: NICU teams participating in this QI collaborative increased adherence to the CDC core elements of antibiotic stewardship and achieved significant reductions in AU.

The impact of measurement changes on evaluating hospital performance: The case of catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections in 592 hospitals immediately declined after federal value-based incentive program implementation, but this was fully attributable to a concurrent surveillance case definition revision. Post revision, more hospitals had favorable standardized infection ratios, likely leading to artificial inflation of their performance scores unrelated to changes in patient safety.

Decolonization to Reduce Postdischarge Infection Risk among MRSA Carriers.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalized patients who are colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are at high risk for infection after discharge. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of postdischarge hygiene education, as compared with education plus decolonization, in patients colonized with MRSA (carriers). Decolonization involved chlorhexidine mouthwash, baths or showers with chlorhexidine, and nasal mupirocin for 5 days twice per month for 6 months. Participants were followed for 1 year. The primary outcome was MRSA infection as defined according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. Secondary outcomes included MRSA infection determined on the basis of clinical judgment, infection from any cause, and infection-related hospitalization. All analyses were performed with the use of proportional-hazards models in the per-protocol population (all participants who underwent randomization, met the inclusion criteria, and survived beyond the recruitment hospitalization) and as-treated population (participants stratified according to adherence). RESULTS: In the per-protocol population, MRSA infection occurred in 98 of 1063 participants (9.2%) in the education group and in 67 of 1058 (6.3%) in the decolonization group; 84.8% of the MRSA infections led to hospitalization. Infection from any cause occurred in 23.7% of the participants in the education group and 19.6% of those in the decolonization group; 85.8% of the infections led to hospitalization. The hazard of MRSA infection was significantly lower in the decolonization group than in the education group (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52 to 0.96; P=0.03; number needed to treat to prevent one infection, 30; 95% CI, 18 to 230); this lower hazard led to a lower risk of hospitalization due to MRSA infection (hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.99). The decolonization group had lower likelihoods of clinically judged infection from any cause (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.70 to 0.99) and infection-related hospitalization (hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.62 to 0.93); treatment effects for secondary outcomes should be interpreted with caution owing to a lack of prespecified adjustment for multiple comparisons. In as-treated analyses, participants in the decolonization group who adhered fully to the regimen had 44% fewer MRSA infections than the education group (hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.86) and had 40% fewer infections from any cause (hazard ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.78). Side effects (all mild) occurred in 4.2% of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: Postdischarge MRSA decolonization with chlorhexidine and mupirocin led to a 30% lower risk of MRSA infection than education alone. (Funded by the AHRQ Healthcare-Associated Infections Program and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01209234 .).

The Impact of the Medicaid Healthcare-Associated Condition Program on Mediastinitis Following Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.

OBJECTIVEIn 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expanded a 2008 program that eliminated additional Medicare payment for mediastinitis following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) to include Medicaid. We aimed to evaluate the impact of this Medicaid program on mediastinitis rates reported by the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) compared with the rates of a condition not targeted by the program, deep-space surgical site infection (SSI) after knee replacement.DESIGNInterrupted time series with comparison group.METHODSWe included surveillance data from nonfederal acute-care hospitals participating in the NHSN and reporting CABG or knee replacement outcomes from January 2009 through June 2017. We examined the Medicaid program's impact on NHSN-reported infection rates, adjusting for secular trends. The data analysis used generalized estimating equations with robust sandwich variance estimators.RESULTSDuring the study period, 196 study hospitals reported 273,984 CABGs to the NHSN, resulting in 970 mediastinitis cases (0.35%), and 294 hospitals reported 555,395 knee replacements, with 1,751 resultant deep-space SSIs (0.32%). There was no significant change in incidence of either condition during the study. Mediastinitis models showed no effect of the 2012 Medicaid program on either secular trend during the postprogram versus preprogram periods (P=.70) or an immediate program effect (P=.83). Results were similar in sensitivity analyses when adjusting for hospital characteristics, restricting to hospitals with consistent NHSN reporting or incorporating a program implementation roll-in period. Knee replacement models also showed no program effect.CONCLUSIONSThe 2012 Medicaid program to eliminate additional payments for mediastinitis following CABG had no impact on reported mediastinitis rates.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:694-700.

A Pediatric Approach to Ventilator-Associated Events Surveillance.

OBJECTIVE Adult ventilator-associated event (VAE) definitions include ventilator-associated conditions (VAC) and subcategories for infection-related ventilator-associated complications (IVAC) and possible ventilator-associated pneumonia (PVAP). We explored these definitions for children. DESIGN Retrospective cohort SETTING Pediatric, cardiac, or neonatal intensive care units (ICUs) in 6 US hospitals PATIENTS Patients ≤18 years old ventilated for ≥1 day METHODS We identified patients with pediatric VAC based on previously proposed criteria. We applied adult temperature, white blood cell count, antibiotic, and culture criteria for IVAC and PVAP to these patients. We matched pediatric VAC patients with controls and evaluated associations with adverse outcomes using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS In total, 233 pediatric VACs (12,167 ventilation episodes) were identified. In the cardiac ICU (CICU), 62.5% of VACs met adult IVAC criteria; in the pediatric ICU (PICU), 54.2% of VACs met adult IVAC criteria; and in the neonatal ICU (NICU), 20.2% of VACs met adult IVAC criteria. Most patients had abnormal white blood cell counts and temperatures; we therefore recommend simplifying surveillance by focusing on "pediatric VAC with antimicrobial use" (pediatric AVAC). Pediatric AVAC with a positive respiratory diagnostic test ("pediatric PVAP") occurred in 8.9% of VACs in the CICU, 13.3% of VACs in the PICU, and 4.3% of VACs in the NICU. Hospital mortality was increased, and hospital and ICU length of stay and duration of ventilation were prolonged among all pediatric VAE subsets compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS We propose pediatric AVAC for surveillance related to antimicrobial use, with pediatric PVAP as a subset of AVAC. Studies on generalizability and responsiveness of these metrics to quality improvement initiatives are needed, as are studies to determine whether lower pediatric VAE rates are associated with improvements in other outcomes. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:327-333.

Claims-Based Diagnostic Patterns of Patients Evaluated for Lyme Disease and Given Extended Antibiotic Therapy.

BACKGROUND: A Lyme disease (LD) diagnosis can be far from straightforward, particularly if erythema migrans does not develop or is not noticed. Extended courses of antibiotics for LD are not recommended, but their use is increasing. We sought to elucidate the patient patterns toward a diagnosis of LD, hypothesizing that a subset of patients ultimately receiving extended courses antibiotics may be symptomatic for an extended period before the first LD diagnosis. METHODS: Claims submitted to a nationwide U.S. health insurance plan in 14 high-prevalence states were grouped into standardized diagnostic categories. The patterns of diagnostic categories over time were compared between patients evaluated for LD and given standard antibiotic therapy (PLDSA) and patients evaluated for LD and given extended antibiotic therapy (PLDEA) in 2011-2012. RESULTS: The incidence of PLDSA was 40.45 (N = 3207) and that of PLDEA was 7.57 (N = 600) per 100,000 insured over 2011-2012. 50.3% of PLDEA were diagnosed in the nonsummer months. Seven diagnostic categories were associated with PLDEA. From 180 days before the first LD diagnosis, the risks of having claims associated with back problems (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; confidence interval [95% CI], 1.4-2.9; p < 0.001) and connective tissue disease (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.3; p < 0.01) complaints were higher among PLDEA. From 90 days before the diagnosis, malaise and fatigue (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.6; p < 0.05), other nervous system disorders (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.3-3.1; p < 0.01), and nontraumatic joint disorder (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0-2.0; p < 0.05) were more likely found among PLDEA than PLDSA. From 30 days before the diagnosis, the risk for mental health (OR 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.0; p < 0.01) and headache (OR 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.0; p < 0.05) among PLDEA was elevated. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients evaluated for LD and ultimately receiving an extended course of antibiotics for LD, 15.8% of them were symptomatic and seeking care for several months before their first LD diagnosis.

Using Nation-Wide Health Insurance Claims Data to Augment Lyme Disease Surveillance.

OBJECTIVE: Lyme disease (LD) is the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in North America. To improve LD surveillance, we explored claims data as an adjunct data source for monitoring trends in Lyme disease incidence. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed claims from a nationwide US health insurance plan, identifying patients with newly diagnosed LD in 13 high-prevalence states over two time periods, 2004-2006 and 2010-2012. RESULTS: The average LD case incidence as estimated by using claims data in 2010-2012 (75.67 per 100,000 person-years, n = 3474) was 1.50 times higher than 2004-2006 (50.25 per 100,000 person-years, n = 1965) (p < 0.001) and higher than incidence reported by the states to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among the 13 highest-prevalence states, there were 11 states with increased LD incidence over time. CONCLUSIONS: Surveillance systems should explore a fusion of data sources, including payer claims that appear to be highly sensitive with limitations, with electronic laboratory data that afford high specificity, but appear to miss cases.

Incidence and Patterns of Extended-Course Antibiotic Therapy in Patients Evaluated for Lyme Disease.

BACKGROUND: Most patients with Lyme disease (LD) can be treated effectively with 2-4 weeks of antibiotics. The Infectious Disease Society of America guidelines do not currently recommend extended treatment even in patients with persistent symptoms. METHODS: To estimate the incidence of extended use of antibiotics in patients evaluated for LD, we retrospectively analyzed claims from a nationwide US health insurance plan in 14 high-prevalence states over 2 periods: 2004-2006 and 2010-2012. RESULTS: As measured by payer claims, the incidence of extended antibiotic therapy among patients evaluated for LD was higher in 2010-2012 (14.72 per 100 000 person-years; n = 684) than in 2004-2006 (9.94 per 100 000 person-years; n = 394) (P < .001). Among these patients, 48.8% were treated with ≥2 antibiotics in 2010-2012 and 29.9% in 2004-2006 (P < .001). In each study period, a distinct small group of providers (roughly 3%-4%) made the diagnosis in >20% of the patients who were evaluated for LD and prescribed extended antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Insurance claims data suggest that the use of extended courses of antibiotics and multiple antibiotics in the treatment of LD has increased in recent years.

Staphylococcus epidermidis Bacteremia Induces Brain Injury in Neonatal Mice via Toll-like Receptor 2-Dependent and -Independent Pathways.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus epidermidis causes late-onset sepsis in preterm infants. Staphylococcus epidermidis activates host responses in part via Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). Epidemiologic studies link bacteremia and neonatal brain injury, but direct evidence is lacking. METHODS: Wild-type and TLR2-deficient (TLR2-/-) mice were injected intravenously with S. epidermidis at postnatal day 1 prior to measuring plasma and brain cytokine and chemokine levels, bacterial clearance, brain caspase-3 activation, white/gray matter volume, and innate transcriptome. RESULTS: Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteremia spontaneously resolved over 24 hours without detectable bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). TLR2-/- mice demonstrated delayed S. epidermidis clearance from blood, spleen, and liver. Staphylococcus epidermidis increased the white blood cell count in the CSF, increased interleukin 6, interleukin 12p40, CCL2, and CXCL1 concentrations in plasma; increased the CCL2 concentration in the brain; and caused rapid (within 6 hours) TLR2-dependent brain activation of caspase-3 and TLR2-independent white matter injury. CONCLUSIONS: Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteremia, in the absence of bacterial entry into the CSF, impairs neonatal brain development. Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteremia induced both TLR2-dependent and -independent brain injury, with the latter occurring in the absence of TLR2, a condition associated with an increased bacterial burden. Our study indicates that the consequences of transient bacteremia in early life may be more severe than commonly appreciated, and our findings may inform novel approaches to reduce bacteremia-associated brain injury.

Impact of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital-Acquired Conditions Policy on Billing Rates for 2 Targeted Healthcare-Associated Infections.

BACKGROUND: The 2008 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hospital-acquired conditions policy limited additional payment for conditions deemed reasonably preventable. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether this policy was associated with decreases in billing rates for 2 targeted conditions, vascular catheter-associated infections (VCAI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). STUDY POPULATION: Adult Medicare patients admitted to 569 acute care hospitals in California, Massachusetts, or New York and subject to the policy. DESIGN We used an interrupted times series design to assess whether the hospital-acquired conditions policy was associated with changes in billing rates for VCAI and CAUTI. RESULTS: Before the policy, billing rates for VCAI and CAUTI were increasing (prepolicy odds ratio per quarter for VCAI, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.11-1.23]; for CAUTI, 1.19 [1.16-1.23]). The policy was associated with an immediate drop in billing rates for VCAI and CAUTI (odds ratio for change at policy implementation for VCAI, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.69-0.81]; for CAUTI, 0.87 [0.79-0.96]). In the postpolicy period, we observed a decreasing trend in the billing rate for VCAI and a leveling-off in the billing rate for CAUTI (postpolicy odds ratio per quarter for VCAI, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.97-0.99]; for CAUTI, 0.99 [0.97-1.00]). CONCLUSIONS: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hospital-acquired conditions policy appears to have been associated with immediate reductions in billing rates for VCAI and CAUTI, followed by a slight decreasing trend or leveling-off in rates. These billing rates, however, may not correlate with changes in clinically meaningful patient outcomes and may reflect changes in coding practices.

Impact of Medicare's Hospital-Acquired Condition policy on infections in safety net and non-safety net hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Policymakers may wish to align healthcare payment and quality of care while minimizing unintended consequences, particularly for safety net hospitals. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the 2008 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital-Acquired Conditions policy had a differential impact on targeted healthcare-associated infection rates in safety net compared with non-safety net hospitals. DESIGN: Interrupted time-series design. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Nonfederal acute care hospitals that reported central line-associated bloodstream infection and ventilator-associated pneumonia rates to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health Safety Network from July 1, 2007, through December 31, 2013. RESULTS: We did not observe changes in the slope of targeted infection rates in the postpolicy period compared with the prepolicy period for either safety net (postpolicy vs prepolicy ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.84-1.09]) or non-safety net (0.99 [0.90-1.10]) hospitals. Controlling for prepolicy secular trends, we did not detect differences in an immediate change at the time of the policy between safety net and non-safety net hospitals (P for 2-way interaction, .87). CONCLUSIONS: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital-Acquired Conditions policy did not have an impact, either positive or negative, on already declining rates of central line-associated bloodstream infection in safety net or non-safety net hospitals. Continued evaluations of the broad impact of payment policies on safety net hospitals will remain important as the use of financial incentives and penalties continues to expand in the United States.

A compendium of strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals: 2014 updates.

Since the publication of "A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals" in 2008, prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has become a national priority. Despite improvements, preventable HAIs continue to occur. The 2014 updates to the Compendium were created to provide acute care hospitals with up-to-date, practical, expert guidance to assist in prioritizing and implementing their HAI prevention efforts. They are the product of a highly collaborative effort led by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), the Society for Hospital Medicine (SHM), and the Surgical Infection Society (SIS).

Coping with college and inflammatory bowel disease: implications for clinical guidance and support.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that young adults with chronic diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), experience greater difficulty during the transition to college, reaching lower levels of educational attainment and reporting greater levels of perceived stress than their otherwise-healthy peers. We performed a qualitative study to better understand how underlying illness shapes the college experience for patients with IBD and how the college experience, in turn, impacts disease management. METHODS: Fifteen college students with IBD were recruited from the Boston Children's Hospital Center for IBD. We conducted an approximately 1 hour semistructured qualitative interview with each participant, and the interviews were thematically analyzed after an iterative and inductive process. RESULTS: Four primary themes were identified: (1) The transition experience of college students with IBD is shaped by their health status, perceived readiness, and preparedness, (2) Elements of the college environment pose specific challenges to young adults with IBD that require adaptive strategies, (3) College students with IBD integrate their underlying illness with their individual and social identity, and (4) College students navigate health management by conceptualizing themselves, their families, and providers as serving particular roles. CONCLUSIONS: For young adults with IBD, college is a proving ground for demonstrating self-care and disease management practices. Future initiatives aimed at this population should recognize the evolving roles of patients, parents, and providers in disease management. Increased attention should also be paid to the promotion of patient's self-management and the unique challenges of the structural and psychosocial college environment.

A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2014 Updates.

Since the publication of "A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals" in 2008, prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has become a national priority. Despite improvements, preventable HAIs continue to occur. The 2014 updates to the Compendium were created to provide acute care hospitals with up-to-date, practical, expert guidance to assist in prioritizing and implementing their HAI prevention efforts. They are the product of a highly collaborative effort led by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Hospital Association (AHA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), the Society for Hospital Medicine (SHM), and the Surgical Infection Society (SIS).