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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 3 of 3 Research Studies DisplayedCrnich CJ
Reimagining infection control in U.S. nursing homes in the era of COVID-19.
This paper provides an overview of nursing home (NH) infection and control, reviews the 2016 CMS changes to federal regulations, and proposes recommendations to sustain improvements. COVID-19 put further pressure on nursing homes who were already strained by rising numbers of infections from C. difficile and multidrug-resistant organisms. The author puts out a call for reimagining infection prevention and control using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety framework. Additional recommendations are made to enhance NH infection prevention and control programs in the areas of people, tasks, tools, organization, built environment, and external environment.
AHRQ-funded; HS022465.
Citation: Crnich CJ .
Reimagining infection control in U.S. nursing homes in the era of COVID-19.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2022 Dec;23(12):1909-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2022.10.022..
Keywords: Elderly, COVID-19, Public Health, Infectious Diseases, Nursing Homes, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention
Cannon JL, Park GW, Anderson B
Hygienic monitoring in long-term care facilities using ATP, crAssphage, and human noroviruses to direct environmental surface cleaning.
Norovirus and C. difficile can be transmitted by contaminated environmental surfaces and are associated with diarrheal illnesses and deaths in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Hygienic monitoring tools such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence and indicators of fecal contamination can help to identify LTC facility surfaces with cleaning deficiencies. The researchers swabbed and tested high-touch surfaces in 11 LTC facilities for contamination by norovirus, a fecal indicator virus, crAssphage, and ATP. The study found that greater than 90% of surfaces tested positive for crAssphage or failed in their ATP scores. Norovirus contamination was not detected. Handrails, equipment controls, and patient beds were 4 times more likely than other surfaces or locations to have high levels of crAssphage. Patient bed handrails and tables and chairs in patient lounges had high levels of both ATP and crAssphage.
AHRQ-funded; HS025987.
Citation: Cannon JL, Park GW, Anderson B .
Hygienic monitoring in long-term care facilities using ATP, crAssphage, and human noroviruses to direct environmental surface cleaning.
Am J Infect Control 2022 Mar; 50(3):289-94. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.11.014..
Keywords: Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Prevention, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Clostridium difficile Infections
Li Y, Cheng Z, Cai X
State social distancing restrictions and nursing home outcomes.
This study examined how state orders for social distancing to curb COVID-19 morbidity and mortality affected nursing home patients and what potential negative health consequences they may have had. The authors examined state social distancing restrictions from June to August of 2020 and their associations with the weekly numbers of new COVID cases, new COVID deaths, and new non-COVID deaths in nursing homes across the US. They found that stronger state social distancing measures were associated with improved outcomes, reduced across-facility disparities in COVID outcomes, and somewhat increased non-COVID-19 death rates. The estimates for non-COVID-19 deaths were sensitive to alternative model specifications.
AHRQ-funded; HS026893; HS024923.
Citation: Li Y, Cheng Z, Cai X .
State social distancing restrictions and nursing home outcomes.
Sci Rep 2022 Jan 20;12(1):1058. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-05011-6..
Keywords: COVID-19, Nursing Homes, Prevention, Public Health