New Study Finds Changes in Infection Control During COVID Pandemic May Be Linked to eMDRO Transmission

A new study performed by researchers at CDC has found that “changes in IC [infection control] practices linked to the [COVID-19] pandemic—along with shortages of and strategies to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) —may have contributed to eMDRO [emerging multidrug-resistant organism] transmission.” CIDRAP has the news.

Health departments in 11 states submitted outbreak report forms by March 12, 2021, which is what the findings are based on. In total, “18 clusters of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE, 10), carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA, 1), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB, 1), and Candida auris (6) were reported by facilities in 10 states. The clusters affected 345 patients in 11 acute care hospitals and 52 patients in 6 post-acute care facilities.”

Among facilities with information on HCP staffing, “10 (71%) of 15 said they increased the use of contracted or agency HCP relative to pre-pandemic practices, 8 (53%) of 15 reassigned HCP to units with a different patient acuity than where they typically worked, and 7 (58%) of 12 reassigned cleaning duties to HCP who were also providing direct patient care.”

In addition, “of the facilities with information about PPE availability, 9 (60%) of 15 reported a shortage of isolation gowns, and 11 (69%) of 16 reported extended use of gowns (HCPs wearing the same gown when interacting with more than one patient), irrespective of an actual shortage. And although only 1 (7%) of 15 facilities reported a glove shortage, 3 (19%) of 16 reported extended use of gloves without changing them between patients.”

A 2022 CDC report previously found that “hospital-onset CRAB cases increased by 78% in 2020 compared with 2019, CRE cases by 35%, multidrug-resistant P aeruginosa by 32%, and combined hospital and community-onset C auris by 60%.”