Despite advances in computers and software for data analysis, hospital epidemiologists still must use manual methods for data collection. To automate infection control surveillance fully, healthcare institutions need computerized medical records; however, very few institutions currently have such a system. Healthcare institutions appreciate the need for automation, but frequently do not see a clear path to the desired outcome. In this article, we outline the important issues that hospital epidemiologists must understand if they wish to help their institutions to computerize their medical records.

Hospital preparedness for nosocomial or community-wide outbreaks of communicable disease includes the capability for rapid, self-reliant administration of prophylaxis to its workforce, with the goal of minimal disruption of patient care, here called hospital “self-prophylaxis.” We created a new discrete-event simulation model of a hypothetical hospital wing to compare the operational charateristics of standard single-line, “first-come, first-served” dispensing clinics with those of 2 staff management strategies that can dramatically reduce staff waiting time while centralizing dispensing around existing pharmacy-distribution points.

Morbidity and mortality due to infection acquired either before or after admission to the intensive care unit is still a major problem. A limited range of potentially pathogenic microorganisms (PPM) are involved, and infection with these PPM usually follows a predictable pattern. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) should be investigated further in patients with primarily curable diseases who are not infected on admission to intensive care but become infected there.

It is not difficult to predict the future of hospital epidemiology. It will become increasingly important. The need to prevent and control hospital-acquired infections and to protect the staff from communicable diseases will grow. Hospitals will continue to be filled with patients, life-prolonging technical advances will continue to be introduced, resistance will emerge to the new antimicrobial agents, the number of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) will increase and the population will continue to age. Concomitant increases in costs and demands for accountability and for quality assurance will occur (Table 1).

The future for practitioners of hospital epidemiology is less assured. We will have to continue to convince hospital administrators that we are more than “bean counters” engaged mainly in surveillance. We must assure them that the benefits of our work justify the costs of maintaining effective infection control units and that we are dedicated to prevention and control.

This survey of the American Society of Transplantation Infectious Disease Community of Practice demonstrates variations in clinical practices among hematopoietic stem cell transplant centers on selected infection prevention and control practices. Our findings highlight a need and emphasize an opportunity to optimize patient care through standardization of practices in this vulnerable population.

Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2016;37(3):348–351

We studied the association between chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) concentration on skin and resistant bacterial bioburden. CHG was almost always detected on the skin, and detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus on skin sites was infrequent. However, we found no correlation between CHG concentration and bacterial bioburden.

Endometritis is an infectious complication in 9% to 65% of patients delivered by cesarean section. The risk of developing endometritis is greater in the high-risk emergent patient as compared to routine repeat abdominal deliveries. This study describes the incidence of endometritis following cesarean section delivery in different patient groups at the University of Virginia Hospital during a 1-year period and reviews the literature on the efficacy and risks of prophylactic antibiotics in this setting. Of patients not receiving antibiotic prophylaxis, 11 (<1%) of 1,461 normal spontaneous vaginal delivery patients, 7 (16.7%) of 42 repeat and 39 (29.8%) of 131 emergent cesarean section patients developed endometritis. This contrasts to none of the 24 emergent patients who received antibiotic prophylaxis. The literature review shows multiple prospective well-designed and executed studies that demonstrate reliable decreases in the incidence of endometritis with short course antibiotic prophylaxis. Our conclusion is that short course antibiotic prophylaxis is a safe, reproducible, cost-effective and indicated method of reducing the incidence of this costly and serious postoperative infection.

Bacterial colony counts in water specimens from oxygen humidifiers that used reusable water reservoirs were compared with counts in water specimens from humidifiers that used prefilled disposable reservoir bottles to evaluate the effects of prolonged and multipatient use of humidifiers. Bacteria were detected after 1 week of operation in water specimens collected from many humidifiers with reusable reservoirs, but no bacteria were detected in water specimens from disposable bottles for up to 12 weeks during use of the humidifier by multiple patients.