Background: Rapid diagnostic tests designed to provide bacterial identification and detection of resistance genes directly from positive blood cultures can significantly reduce the time to definitive results, ensuring appropriate and timely antibiotic administration while simultaneously decreasing antibiotic overuse and development of antimicrobial resistance. However, their impact on in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS) is yet to be fully assessed. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed bacteremia cases in patients hospitalized over a 6-month period before (n = 78) and after (n = 93) the implementation of Verigene bacterial nanoparticle testing. Exclusion criteria included age >90 years, bacteremia thought to be a contaminant, polymicrobial bacteremia, or hospice admission. Verigene was performed at a central laboratory from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Pharmacists notified physicians of results and assisted with antibiotic modifications. Patient demographics, time to organism identification, time to effective antimicrobial therapy, and other key clinical parameters were compared. The primary outcomes were in-hospital LOS, 14-day mortality, and 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes included time to effective antibiotic therapy and intensive care unit (ICU) LOS. Results: Organism identification was achieved more quickly (4.9 hours vs 44.5 hours; P < .001) and effective antibiotic therapy was started earlier after Verigene implementation. The mean in-hospital LOS decreased from 13.15 days to 10.02 days (P = .0071) after the Verigene intervention, despite a higher mean Charlson comorbidity index among the cases. Mortality was similar between groups. Conclusions: Rapid identification of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteremia with an antimicrobial stewardship intervention can decrease time to effective antibiotic therapy and total LOS.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotic classes in the United States. In recent years, their widespread use has come under heightened scrutiny due potential adverse drug reactions including risks of mental health side effects, serious blood sugar disturbances, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) black-box warnings for tendinopathy, aortic aneurysm, and dissection. These warnings prompted the Department of Veterans Affairs Pharmacy Benefits Management Service to perform a nationwide FQ utilization review, which identified our facility for potential overuse of FQs in the outpatient setting: 82.2 prescriptions per 1,000 unique patients compared to an average of 48 prescriptions per 1,000 unique patients across all VHA facilities. We then embarked on a FQ medication use evaluation (MUE). Objective: To determine appropriateness of FQ prescribing practices in the outpatient setting. Methods: The study setting was a 399-bed tertiary-care Veterans Hospital with >250 affiliated outpatient clinics in Richmond, Virginia. A retrospective chart review was conducted on a convenience sample of consecutive patients prescribed an FQ from each quarter between April 1, 2018, and March 31, 2019. Chart review included patient demographics, location, FQ used, dose, indication, appropriateness, prescriber, and documentation of patient counseling on FDA black box warnings. Appropriate treatment was defined by national and local antimicrobial therapy guidelines. Results: In total, 265 patients were included the study. Among them, 233 patients (88%) were men and the mean age was 68 years. Overall, 127 patients (48%) were prescribed FQs inappropriately. Primary care clinics and the emergency department (ED) had the highest frequency of inappropriate FQ prescriptions (Fig. 1). Moreover, 92 patients (35%) were prescribed FQs for surgical prophylaxis prior to urological procedures. FQs were most commonly inappropriately prescribed for urinary tract infection (UTI, n =74, 84%) and upper respiratory tract infection (URI, n=27, 84%) (Fig. 2). Documented counseling on FDA black box warnings occurred in 82 cases (31%). Conclusions: In our MUE, outpatient prescribing of FQs was inappropriate nearly 50% of the time. The most commonly documented indications for FQs determined to be inappropriate included UTI and URI. Inappropriate prescriptions most commonly originated from primary care and the emergency department. Urology had the highest volume of FQ prescriptions, which were mostly appropriate surgical prophylaxis based on indication (though an alternative agent would be preferred based on local resistance rates). Documentation of patient counseling for FDA black-box warnings on FQs was uncommon.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Antibiotics play a vital role in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with common infectious among children aged <5 years. Objective: We assessed the parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antibiotic use among a low-income urban population in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the parents of 516 low-income urban children aged <5 years in Bangladesh from February 2018 to April 2019. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and administrated to explore parental knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding antibiotic use. A logistic regression analysis and Spearman rank-order correlation was used to compare and evaluate possible associations regarding parental KAP on antibiotic use. Results: The mean age of the participants was 26.65 years (SD, 6.38) and average monthly income was US$195.00. Most respondents (437 of 516) were women. One-third of the participants had no formal education, and 64% had only 5 years of education. We categorized the knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding antibiotic use into 3 categories: poor, moderate, and good. More than half (52%) of these parents had poor knowledge of antibiotic use, and 32% had moderate knowledge of antibiotic use. Overall, 55% of parental attitudes were moderate and 70% of antibiotic practices were moderate. However, only 16% respondents had good knowledge, 14% had good attitudes, and 14% had good practices regarding antibiotic use for their children. The study revealed that 41% of parents thought that their child could be treated with antibiotics without advice from a qualified doctor, and 71% of parents thought that a child with flu-like symptoms got better faster if antibiotics were used. Also, 54% thought that the antibiotics could be stopped as soon as the symptoms disappeared. In this study, only 40% of parents completed the full dose of antibiotics. Monthly family income (P = .005), father’s profession (P = .003), and parents’ education were significantly associated with antibiotic use to treat the child. Conclusions: Most participants’ knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding rational antibiotic usage was very poor. Awareness campaigns and implementation of education on how to purchase, use, and sell antibiotics is crucial to optimum the use of antibiotics in Bangladesh.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Blood culture testing is an important diagnostic tool in identifying the presence of microbes in the bloodstream. Tests are frequently contaminated, leading to false-positive results. Blood culture contamination can result in unnecessary antibiotic treatment, extended hospital length of stay, and patient exposure to hospital-acquired conditions. Methods: St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center (SMRMC) in Russellville, Arkansas, struggled with blood-culture contamination rates, with an average of 6.8% from 2014 to 2018. Ongoing staff education yielded a reduction to an average of 5%. In an effort to reduce the contamination rates, our facility elected to try a novel specimen diversion device. Laboratory and emergency department (ED) staff were educated on the diversion device prior to the initiation of the trial period. Compliance with the diversion device averaged 70%–75% during the trial period. Monitoring of contaminations was added to our daily safety huddle to provide a quick turnaround time for false-positive education to specific clinical staff. Results: The results were significant, with a decrease in contamination rates from 4.93% to 1.66%—a 66% reduction. Improved blood culture testing has several advantages: best practice for patient care is first and foremost, along with other financial benefits for the facility. Several articles have estimated the cost of a contaminated culture to be $3,000–$10,000 per event; SMRMC has adopting an estimated cost of $4,000. The number of cultures at our hospital averages ~4,400 per year, and these results suggest a savings of >$500,000 per year (as contaminations on an annual basis fell from 217 to 73). With this intervention, 144 patients were spared from receiving unnecessary antibiotics as a result of a false-positive blood culture testing. Conclusions: We conducted a brief analysis to determine whether there was any obvious change in length of stay for patients with a false-positive blood culture compared to those with true negative results. In analyzing data for 3 different months, patients with contaminated cultures spent an average of 3.97 additional days in the facility. In conclusion, the implementation of this specimen diversion device significantly lowered our contamination rates, was integrated into practice, and has provided clinical and financial benefits.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: The NHSN is the nation’s largest surveillance system for healthcare-associated infections. Since 2011, acute-care hospitals (ACHs) have been required to report intensive care unit (ICU) central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) to the NHSN pursuant to CMS requirements. In 2015, this requirement included general medical, surgical, and medical-surgical wards. Also in 2015, the NHSN implemented a repeat infection timeframe (RIT) that required repeat CLABSIs, in the same patient and admission, to be excluded if onset was within 14 days. This analysis is the first at the national level to describe repeat CLABSIs. Methods: Index CLABSIs reported in ACH ICUs and select wards during 2015–2108 were included, in addition to repeat CLABSIs occurring at any location during the same period. CLABSIs were stratified into 2 groups: single and repeat CLABSIs. The repeat CLABSI group included the index CLABSI and subsequent CLABSI(s) reported for the same patient. Up to 5 CLABSIs were included for a single patient. Pathogen analyses were limited to the first pathogen reported for each CLABSI, which is considered to be the most important cause of the event. Likelihood ratio χ2 tests were used to determine differences in proportions. Results: Of the 70,214 CLABSIs reported, 5,983 (8.5%) were repeat CLABSIs. Of 3,264 nonindex CLABSIs, 425 (13%) were identified in non-ICU or non-select ward locations. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen in both the single and repeat CLABSI groups (14.2% and 12%, respectively) (Fig. 1). Compared to all other pathogens, CLABSIs reported with Candida spp were less likely in a repeat CLABSI event than in a single CLABSI event (P < .0001). Insertion-related organisms were more likely to be associated with single CLABSIs than repeat CLABSIs (P < .0001) (Fig. 2). Alternatively, Enterococcus spp or Klebsiella pneumoniae and K. oxytoca were more likely to be associated with repeat CLABSIs than single CLABSIs (P < .0001). Conclusions: This analysis highlights differences in the aggregate pathogen distributions comparing single versus repeat CLABSIs. Assessing the pathogens associated with repeat CLABSIs may offer another way to assess the success of CLABSI prevention efforts (eg, clean insertion practices). Pathogens such as Enterococcus spp and Klebsiella spp demonstrate a greater association with repeat CLABSIs. Thus, instituting prevention efforts focused on these organisms may warrant greater attention and could impact the likelihood of repeat CLABSIs. Additional analysis of patient-specific pathogens identified in the repeat CLABSI group may yield further clarification.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: A multistep algorithm using GDH antigen plus toxin with a reflex PCR is an acceptable method for detecting CDI. The use of the PCR in discordant cases can identify those patients who are colonized from those patients who have nontoxogenic strains of C. difficile. Identification of discordant patients has infection prevention implications. Treatment is not recommended for patients colonized with C. difficile. Methods: A line listing of patients with positive hospital-onset antigen/toxin positive and discordant PCR positive was created. Demographic information was extracted from medical records and the 2 cohorts were compared. Results: There were 59 discordant and 44 positive cases HO CDI cases from October 2017 through September 2019: (1) There was no difference in age and sex between the 2 groups. (2) Positive patients tended to have 3 loose stools before and after testing (57% vs 27%; P = .026). (3) Overall, 82% of positive patients had 1 of 3 signs or symptoms (leukocytosis, abdominal pain, and temperature >38°C) consistent with CDI compared to 66% of discordant patients (P = .038), and 55% of positive patients were more likely to have 2 of 3 signs or symptoms of CDI compared to 17% of discordant patients (P = .00003). (4) Also, 46% of discordant patients were either on the oncology ward or ICU compared to 32% of positive patients (P = .764). (5) There was no difference between in discordant compared to positive patients in non-CDI antimicrobial therapy within 7 days of CDI test submission (81% vs 84%, respectively). Conclusions: (1) Screening for CDI testing should include 3 loose stools and at least 2 of 3 signs or symptoms of CDI. (2) Discordant cases most likely represents colonization because only 17% of discordant patients had 2 of 3 CDI signs or symptoms at presentation. (3) Discordant cases without clinical features of CDI should not receive treatment to minimize antibiotic exposure. (4) Identification of discordant patients have infection prevention ramifications because CD can be indirectly transmitted by colonized patients; therefore, using PCR in addition to toxin testing is favored. (5) Antimicrobial therapy highly associated with CDI should be avoided, should antimicrobial therapy be necessary in PCR-positive discordant patients.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: This research represents an experiment based in surgical site infection (SSI) to patients undergoing abdominal hysterectomy surgery procedures in hospitals in Belo Horizonte, (population, 3 million). We statistically evaluated such incidences and studied the SSI prediction power of pattern recognition algorithms, the artificial neural networks based in multilayer perceptron (MLP). Methods: Between July 2016 and June 2018, data on SSI were collected by the hospital infection control committees (CCIH) of the 3 hospitals involved in the research. They collected all data used in the analysis during their routine SSI surveillance procedures. The information was forwarded to the NOIS (Nosocomial Infection Study) Project, which used SACIH (ie, automated hospital infection control system software) to collect data from a sample of hospitals participating voluntarily in the project. After data collection, 3 procedures were performed for SSI prediction: (1) a treatment of the database collected for the use of intact samples; (2) a statistical analysis on the profile of the hospitals collected; and (3) an assessment of the predictive power of 5 types of MLP (ie, backpropagation standard, momentum, resilient propagation, weight decay, and quick propagation). MLPs were tested with 3, 5, 7, and 10 hidden-layer neurons and a database split for the resampling process (65% or 75% for testing, 35% or 25% for validation). They were compared by measuring area under the curve (AUC; range, 0–1) presented for each of the configurations. Results: From 1,166 records collected, only 665 records were enabled for analysis. Regarding statistical data: the average duration of surgery was 100 minutes (range, 31–180); patients were aged 41–49 years; the SSI rate was low (only 10 cases); the average length of stay was 2 days; and there were no deaths among the cases. Moreover, 29% of the operative sites were contaminated and 57% were potentially contaminated, revealing a high rate of potential contamination in the operative sites. The prediction process achieved 0.995. Conclusions: Despite the noise in the database, it was possible to obtain a relevant sampling to evaluate the profile of hospitals in Belo Horizonte. In addition, for the predictive process, although some settings achieved AUC results of 0.5, others achieved and AUC of 0.995, indicating the promise of the automated SSI monitoring framework for abdominal hysterectomy surgery (available in www.sacihweb.com). To optimize data collection and to enable other hospitals to use the SSI prediction tool, a mobile application was developed.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Suspicion of urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common justification for prescribing antibiotics in nursing homes. More than half of antibiotic prescriptions for treatment of UTI in nursing homes are either unnecessary or inappropriate. Achieving a better understanding of the factors that underlie UTI treatment decisions is necessary to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing in nursing homes. An ongoing hybrid type 2 effectiveness-implementation cluster randomized trial of a recently developed nursing home UTI recognition and management tool kit provided us with an opportunity to explore the influence of organizational, clinical, and staff attributes on UTI antibiotic prescribing practices in nursing homes. Methods: Data on antibiotic starts for suspected UTIs were collected in 29 nursing homes over a 9-month period. Antibiotic practices evaluated included total antibiotic starts per 1,000 resident days, % antibiotic starts with treatment duration >7 days, % antibiotic starts in which the initial antibiotic choice was a fluoroquinolone, and % antibiotic starts meeting UTI tool-kit criteria of appropriateness. Prior research and bivariate analyses were used to select clinical and organizational attributes as well as individual nursing staff-level retention rates for inclusion in a stepwise linear regression model for each antibiotic practice outcome. Results: In total, 602 UTI antibiotic events were evaluated. Four associations were identified for antibiotic starts including nursing home urine culture rate, ICP status, nonprofit and part-time LPN retention. Nursing homes with higher full-time LPN retention had a lower rate of antibiotic treatment duration >7 days. Full-time CNAs and part-time LPNs retention and for-profit status was associated with the proportion of fluoroquinolone antibiotic starts. No attributes influenced the proportion of antibiotic starts meeting appropriateness criteria (Fig. 1). Urine culture rates are driving overall nursing home antibiotic prescribing. Conclusions: Urine culture practices was strongly associated with UTI treatment rates in nursing homes. A variety of organizational characteristics were also associated with UTI treatment rates as well as other UTI antibiotic prescribing practices. Some of these associations appear paradoxical but may reflect increasing resident acuity and increased capacity to standardize practices through organizational centralization.

Funding: Support for the project provided by the Wisconsin Partnership Program.

Disclosures: None

Background: Dentists prescribe an estimated 13% of outpatient antibiotic courses, many of which may be unnecessary. Health departments are in a unique position to support implementation of antibiotic stewardship across healthcare facilities, including in dental offices. A customized peer comparison message with feedback regarding prescribing frequencies was effective in reducing inappropriate prescribing among primary care physicians in Massachusetts and California. We tested the effect of a peer comparison message for antibiotic prescribing on dentists in the Massachusetts Medicaid program. Methods: We analyzed data from September 2018 to July 2019 for prescriptions of antibiotic courses by dentists to identify the highest prescribing dentists. We used their national provider identifier (NPI) to deduplicate providers and we searched for addresses using the CMS online database. On March 25, 2019, the high prescribers were sent a hard copy letter from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health stating that they were “among the 1% of frequent prescribers.” In addition, the letter provided citations to professional guidelines and prescribing best practices and invited participation in health department–sponsored training for continuing education credits. We tracked the monthly number of antibiotics prescribed by provider before and after the mailing and compared those who received the letter (intervention) to those whose address was either out of state or undeliverable (comparison). Results: Prescribing records for 3,008 dentists were available from September 2018 through July 2019. Most (67%) prescribed <10 antibiotic courses in the 11-month period; the mean monthly antibiotic courses prescribed ranged from 1.2 to 1.6, and the median monthly prescriptions was 0. However, 33% prescribed 10–199 antibiotics, and 1% prescribed >200. Of these 28 comprising the highest 1% , 15 received the intervention letter. The others were either out of state (N = 3) or the letter was returned undelivered (N = 10). The average monthly number of antibiotic courses prescribed before the intervention was similar in the intervention and comparison groups (25.0 and 24.2, respectively). In the 4 months after the intervention, the average did not change in the intervention group but increased slightly in the comparison group (25.2 and 26.2, respectively). The intervention had no significant effect (P = .80). Conclusions: We observed no effect of this peer comparison message among a small sample of dentists in the Massachusetts Medicaid program. This finding may be due to multiple factors, including the small number of the targeted prescribers, the use of a relatively friendly message for communicating with the high prescribers, and the possibility that other forms of communication would be more effective.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: The introduction of new technologies into the medical field has the duality of improvement and concerns about correct usage and cleaning. Mobile phones are used by healthcare professionals (HCPs) in the work place, and there is not an official policy about their use in health environment. Methods: We asked 60 intensive care unit (ICU) HCPs from 2 units (the burn unit and the internal medicine unit) to participate in an electronic survey about mobile phone usage and hand hygiene compliance; we also cultured the hands and mobile phones of the participants. Unfortunately, 13 HCPs did not participate. Susceptibility testing of the strains was conducted, as well as molecular testing. Results: Overall, 47 HCPs responded to the inquiry: 19% were nurses (9 of 47), 19% were resident physicians (9 of 47), 17% were nursery technicians (8 of 47), 17% were physiotherapists (8 of 47), 13% were cleaning staff (6 of 47), 11% were consultants (5 of 47), and 4% were technicians (2 of 47). Moreover, 26 of 47 participants (55%) were woman and 21 (45%) were men. From all HCP categories, 39 of 47 respondents (83%) reported that they had optimal hand hygiene compliance. However, 92% of respondents had a colonized hand and 90% had a colonized mobile phone. Also, 44 of 47 HCPs (94%) reported that the took their personal mobile phone into the workplace; 40 (85%) reported that they used it during the work day and 35 (74%) reported that they cleaned it. However, 8 HCPs (26%) reported that they had never cleaned the device. All of the HCPs understood that mobile phones can harbor bacteria, and 27 of 47 HCPs (57.45%) indicated that they use 70% alcohol to clean their mobile phones. In contrast, the first choice for hand hygiene was water and soap in 51% of HCPs (24 of 47). Also, 3 HCPs did not have any colonization in the hand culture but had healthcare-associated infection (HAI) pathogens in the mobile phone culture. Conclusions: A policy regarding mobile phone usage in the healthcare setting should be in place, and cleaning of electronic devices in hospitals should be standardized.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Two affiliated teaching hospitals in Chicago, Illinois, participated in an ethnographic study of hospital-based inpatient antimicrobial stewardship programs and interventions between 2017 and 2018. Although antimicrobial stewardship is now a requirement in medical practice, it is not clear how infectious disease physicians perceive and understand antimicrobial stewardship. Over a period of 18 months, we directly observed infectious disease practice to better understand how antimicrobial stewardship is conducted among physicians within the same specialty. Methods: A doctoral candidate medical anthropologist conducted semistructured interviews with infectious disease attending physicians and fellow physicians (N = 18) at 2 affiliated teaching hospitals in Chicago, IL, between July 2017 and March 2018 as part of an ethnographic study involving direct observation of inpatient care. Interview questions focused on 3 key domains: (1) descriptions of antimicrobial use among hospital-based physicians, (2) solicited definitions of antimicrobial stewardship, and (3) experiences practicing as an infectious disease consultant. Physicians who were directly involved with the antimicrobial stewardship program were excluded from this analysis. Transcriptions of the data were analyzed using thematic coding aided by MAXQDA qualitative analysis software. Results: Infectious disease physicians have a robust understanding of antimicrobial stewardship (Table 1). Infectious disease physicians described other hospital-based physicians as regularly overusing and misusing antimicrobials, compared with their practice, which they described as “thoughtful.” Definitions in response to the question “What is antimicrobial stewardship?” centered on guiding the prescribing behavior of others. Infectious disease physicians valued stewardship and were concerned with lack of adherence to antimicrobial prescribing recommendations among other hospital-based physicians, behaviors which infectious disease physicians viewed as perpetuating antibiotic resistance. Finally, infectious disease physicians found serving as antimicrobial stewards during their everyday practice to be challenging based on their role as consultants to the primary service. Conclusions: Our qualitative analysis revealed that infectious disease physicians not regularly involved in antimicrobial stewardship are highly motivated stewards who perceive their hospital-based colleagues to be less effective at appropriately prescribing antimicrobials. As consultants, infectious disease physicians are not autonomous decision makers. However, as antimicrobial stewardship programs search for champions, infectious disease physicians could be better utilized as knowledgeable and motivated individuals who can make the case for stewardship.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: The contaminated healthcare environment, including operating rooms (ORs), can serve as an important role in transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens. Studies are very limited regarding the level of contamination of ORs during the surgery of a patient on contact precautions and the risk to the next surgery patient after standard room cleaning and disinfection. Objective: Here, we investigated the microbial burden on the OR environment when patients on contact precautions receive surgery, and we assessed the impact of cleaning and disinfection on the contamination of OR environmental sites. Methods: This investigation was conducted in the ORs of an academic facility during an 8-month period. It involved 10 patients on contact precautions for multidrug-resistant pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; n = 7); carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) plus MRSA (n = 2); and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) plus MRSA (n = 1), who underwent surgery. Environmental sampling was performed at the following time points: (1) immediately before the surgical patient’s arrival in the OR, (2) after surgery but before the OR cleaning and disinfection, and (3) after the OR cleaning and disinfection. In total, 1,520 environmental samples collected from 15 OR sites for 10 surgical patients at 3 time points were analyzed. Relatedness among environmental MRSA isolates was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Results: Overall, the mean CFUs of aerobes per Rodac plate (CFU/25 cm2) were 10.1 before patient arrival, 14.7 before cleaning and disinfection, and 6.3 after cleaning and disinfection (P < .0001, after cleaning and disinfection vs before cleaning and disinfection). Moreover, 7 environmental sites (46.7%) after cleaning and disinfection, including bed, arm rest, pyxis counter, floor (near, door side), floor (far, by door), steel counter (small, near bed), and small computer desk, had significantly lower mean counts of aerobes than before patient arrival or before cleaning and disinfection (Fig. 1). The mean CFUs of MRSA per Rodac plate (CFU/25 cm2) were 0.04 before patient arrival, 0.66 before cleaning and disinfection, and 0.08 after cleaning and disinfection (P = .0006, after cleaning and disinfection vs before cleaning and disinfection). Of environmental sites where MRSA was identified, 87.2% were on floors (41 of 47) and 19.1% were after cleaning and disinfection (9 of 47, 8 from floors and 1 from pyxis touchscreen). The A2/B2 MRSA strain was identified on different environmental sites (eg, floor, computer desk, counter) in various rooms (eg, OR2, OR10, and OR16), even after cleaning and disinfection (Fig. 2). Conclusions: Our study has demonstrated that the OR environment was contaminated with aerobic bacteria and MRSA after surgery and that MRSA persisted in the environment even after cleaning and disinfection. Enhanced environmental cleaning in the perioperative environment used for patients on isolation is necessary to prevent transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens in ORs.

Funding: None

Disclosures: Drs. Rutala and Weber are consultants to PDI (Professional Disposable International)

Background: Patients presenting to hospitals often arrive with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) in place upon admission. The admitting facility may not be familiar with that device’s history and the unknown risk for bloodstream infection associated with it often prompts requests for device replacement. A blanket approach to “change all lines” must be balanced with the potential for patient discomfort and insertion-related complications. To better inform our approach to prevention, we determined the incidence of central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) in adult patients presenting to hospitals in our health system with a PICC present on admission (POA), relative to those who have a PICC placed after admission (PAA). Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all adult hospital encounters at 11 Cleveland Clinic acute-care hospitals lasting > 2 days in 2018 with electronic medical record nursing care flowsheet documentation of a PICC during the stay. Patients whose admission diagnosis was related to intravascular catheter infection, children aged <18 years, and observation unit encounters were excluded. Patients were categorized as having a PICC POA if a nurse selected that option on a PICC flowsheet, otherwise the patient was categorized has having a PICC PAA. Surveillance for CLABSI was performed in all inpatient locations at all hospitals according to the NHSN protocol. Patients with ≥1 CLABSI were matched to encounters by name and date of admission. Repeat infections occurring to the same patient were excluded. Results: Of the 8,827 eligible hospital encounters, 1,799 (20%) involved a PICC POA and 7,028 (80%) had PICCs PAA. Across 11 hospitals, the median proportion of PICC-associated encounters with a device POA was 15% (range, 8%–25%). Moreover, 23 of the 112 CLABSIs (21%) in our cohort occurred in patients with a PICC POA and 89 (79%) occurred in patients with a PICC PAA (Table 1). The overall relative risk of CLABSI, whether the PICC was placed before or after admission, was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.64–1.60). Conclusions: Patients with a PICC present on admission to our hospitals were no more likely to experience a CLABSI than patients who had a PICC placed after admission. Replacing vascular catheters that are POA may not reduce the risk of CLABSI. With up to 25% of PICC-associated encounters having the device POA, universal device replacement at admission would involve hundreds of patients per year at our multihospital health system.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Between January and September of 2019, 15 patients acquired Candida auris infection in our surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Although the outbreak was controlled by enhancing horizontal measures and a change of the environmental disinfectant from a quaternary ammonium compound to a peroxide-based product; we wanted to understand whether patient-to-patient spread was occurring or the environment was the major contributor. Methods: We submitted all the 15 isolates from clinical samples for WGS and phylogenetic analysis; along with operation theater (OT) and ICU environment random swabs for metagenomic analysis. DNA sample QC DNA extraction was done using a Qiagen QiAmp DNA mini kit (cat. no. 51306). The DNA samples were subjected to QIAXPERT and Qubit for quantifying the amount of DNA in the extracted sample. Also, the 260/280-nm ratio was examined for the purity of the same. They were also subjected for agarose gel electrophoresis. For the DNA library prep protocol, whole-genome libraries were prepared from 21 samples using NEBNext Ultra IITM DNA Library Prep Kit (Cat. No: E7645L). The adapter sequences were added to the ends of DNA fragments to generate paired-end libraries. The resulting adaptor-ligated libraries were purified and index tags were added by amplification, followed by purification. Libraries were assessed to check the quality and quantity using Agilent 2200 Tape station (cat. no. 3-PM 863NA). For the sequencing protocol, prepared libraries were quantified using Qubit High Sensitivity reagent. The obtained libraries were diluted to final concentration of 2 nm in 10 µL and were subjected to cluster amplification. Once the cluster generation was completed, the flow cells were loaded on to the sequencer. Sequencing was carried out in Hi Seq X10 to generate 2X150-bp sequence reads at >100X sequencing depth (~1.5 Gb). A minimum of 75% of the sequenced bases were of Q30 value. Sequenced data were processed to generate FASTQ files and were uploaded on the FTP server for download and secondary data analysis. Results: Overall, 2% of the DNA from the OT and SICU environment showed Candida auris. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed 2 different clusters. Furthermore, 13 of the clinical isolates belonged to the same cluster, confirming that patient-to-patient transmission had occurred, which was subsequently confirmed by line listing the patients. Conclusions:Candida auris can efficiently spread from patient to patient, resulting in outbreaks. It can also persist in the healthcare environment causing ongoing propagation of these outbreaks.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Recently, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) have markedly increased, but no infection control policy has been established in South Korea. We investigated the current HAI surveillance system and executed a point-prevalence pilot study in LTCHs. Methods: HAIs were defined by newly established surveillance manual based on McGeer criteria revised in 2012. Three LTCHs in Seoul and Gyeonggi province were voluntarily recruited, and data were collected from up to 50 patients who were hospitalized on August 1. The medical records from September to November 2018 were retrospectively reviewed by a charge nurse for infection control per each hospitals after 1 day of training specific for LTCH surveillance. All data were reviewed by a senior researcher visiting onsite. Results: The participating hospitals had 272.33 ± 111.01 beds. Only 1 hospital had an onsite microbiological laboratory. In total, 156 patients were enrolled and 5 HAIs were detected, for a prevalence rate of 3.2%. The average patient age was 79.04 ± 9.92 years. The HAIs included 2 urinary tract infections, skin and soft-tissue infection, low respiratory infection, and conjunctivitis. Conclusions: This is the first survey of HAI in LTCHs in South Korea. The 3.2% prevalence rate is lower than those from previous reports from the European Union or the United States. This study supports the development of a national HAI surveillance and infection control system in LTCHs, although implementation may be limited due to the lack of laboratory support and infection control infrastructure in Korea.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: The Korean National Healthcare-Associated Infections Surveillance System (KONIS) was established to conduct nationwide surveillance of device-associated healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and surgical site infections annually in 2006. However, no surveillance on overall HAIs has been conducted. Objective: We conducted a point-prevalence survey of total HAIs to estimate the incidence rate of HAIs in acute-care hospitals in South Korea. Methods: We defined HAIs according to KONIS and NHSN criteria. In total, 29 acute-care hospitals including 9 tertiary-care hospitals (TCHs) and 20 secondary-care hospitals (SCHs) were recruited as representing the population of every metropolitan city and province in South Korea. Patients who stayed at the hospitals on August 1, 2018, were randomly selected: 100 for SCHs and 200 for TCHs. Their medical records were retrospectively reviewed for HAIs according to the NHSN criteria by the infection control nurses (ICNs) from each hospital. A web-based data collection and analysis program was developed, and participating ICNs were educated in a 1-day training course with pre- and postevaluations. They received continuous feedback of input data and questions through the web-based system during the study. To generate estimates of the incidence rate of HAIs, we converted prevalence to incidence using the formula of Rhame and Sudderth. Results: Of 4,296 patients, 133 had ≥1 HAI (3.1%). In total, 141 HAIs were identified: gastrointestinal infections (n = 30, 21.3%), bloodstream infections (n = 30, 21.3%), pneumonia (n = 29, 20.6%), urinary tract infection (n =26, 18.4%). Among the gastrointestinal infections, C. difficile infections were the most common (17.7%). Device-associated infections accounted for 34.8% of all HAIs. The overall incidence of HAIs in TCHs was 4.39%, which was a higher incidence than SCHs (3.76%). Intensive care units had 12.6% of HAIs, whereas general wards had 3.4%. HAI incidences were 5.7%, 2.8%, and 2.3%, respectively, for each of the medical wards, surgical wards, and pediatric wards. The 3 most common pathogens were Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Enterococcus faecium. Conclusions: The prevalence of HAI in Korea is lower than in most Western countries. The HAI burden of Clostridium difficile infection is surprisingly high, which calls for prompt control at the national level. To obtain national-level data on HAI burdens, ongoing surveillance is needed.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Urinary catheters, vascular catheters, and wounds, such as pressure injuries are often hidden from view under gowns and sheets (ie, out of sight, out of mind), contributing to prolonged catheter use, infections, delayed interventions, and diagnostic errors for symptoms (eg, fever or delirium) related to catheters and wounds. We developed and pilot tested a digital bedside Patient Safety Display of catheter and wound information to improve awareness by rounding providers (ie, physicians and advanced practice providers, APPs). Methods: The display development was informed by clinical observations of provider rounds and nurse handoffs, interviews, and iterative prototype testing with clinicians in simulated cases using catheterized mannequins with wounds. The display reports the presence and duration of urinary and vascular catheter use, urinary catheter indication, and wound presence and severity, from real-time mandatory nurse documentation in the electronic medical record (Fig. 1). We conducted a pilot study in a tertiary-care medical-surgical step-down unit with 20 private rooms, including a preintervention period and a postintervention period including 10 rooms without the display (control rooms) and 10 rooms with the display (intervention rooms). We surveyed individual providers directly after rounds to assess their awareness of their patients’ catheters and wounds compared to medical record documentation. We also assessed display utility and usability from postintervention clinician interviews and we identified major themes using an adapted grounded theory approach. Results: In total, 787 surveys were completed: 681 medicine service with 89% response rate, 106 surgery service with 47% response rate; 363 preintervention surveys, and 424 postintervention surveys. The surveys involved 176 unique patients and 47 unique providers. Among all 787 patient encounters, 156 (19.8%) had a transurethral indwelling urinary catheter (Foley), 314 (39.9%) had a central venous catheter (including PICCs), and 247 (31.4%) had at least 1 pressure injury. Figure 2 summarizes provider awareness of catheters and pressure injuries when present as assessed for patients in the preintervention and postintervention periods. Moreover, 13 clinician postintervention interviews yielded preliminary themes regarding the display’s benefits and limitations (Fig. 3). Conclusions: In this pilot study of a novel Patient Safety Display, although provider awareness of Foley catheters, CVCs, and pressure injuries appeared higher for patients in the intervention rooms compared to awareness as measured in the preintervention rooms and/or postintervention control rooms, most of these comparisons did not meet statistical significance. Clinicians varied widely in their personal assessments of the display as a useful tool for improving awareness and prompting discussion about catheters and wounds.

Funding: This work was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grant P30HS024385. Dr. Meddings’ effort was initially partially funded by concurrent support from AHRQ (K08 HS19767).

Disclosures: Dr. Meddings has reported receiving honoraria for lectures and teaching related to prevention and value-based purchasing policies involving catheter-associated urinary tract infection. The remaining authors report no conflicts of interest.

Background: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are among the most prevalent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) globally, contributing to increased morbidity, prolonged hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. Interventions that support prompt removal of the urinary catheter are evidence-based actions to effectively reduce CAUTI rates.1Objective: At the National Hospital of Tropical Disease (NHTD), catheter removal interventions in the intensive care unit (ICU) were implemented using quality improvement (QI) methodology to reduce CAUTI incidence and urinary catheter device utilization. Methods: Training was performed for ICU clinical staff with knowledge checks before and after the program. A bedside visual reminder of CAUTI risk and checklist to assess catheter need were implemented. Weekly compliance of provided visual reminders and checklists were measured using a simple audit tool. Device utilization ratios (DURs, ratios of device days to patient days), and CAUTI incidence rates (per 1,000 device days) were collected at baseline (July–September 2018) and quarterly thereafter until June 2019. Statistical significance was determined by an independent t test. Results: In the first quarter (October–December 2018), the CAUTI incidence rate decreased from 8.9 to 1.3 per 1,000 device days (P = .036). The ICU staff trained in CAUTI prevention, mean knowledge scores before and after training increased from 68% to 87%. The DUR decreased slightly from 0.59 to 0.55 after the first-quarter training then steadily increased in the following quarter (0.60; January–March 2019) and after the intervention (0.54; April–June 2019). CAUTI incidence rates also increased but were still lower than at baseline: 4.8 and 6.3 per 1,000 days of device use. Compliance of reminders was 51% during the first quarter, increased slightly in the second quarter 62%, then decreased to 40% during the last quarter. The nurses’ adherence to the daily checklist remained stable (>75%). Conclusions: This CAUTI prevention project was the first use of quality improvement methodology to implement change at NHTD. A trend decrease in CAUTI was observed, though a greater decrease occurred at the beginning of the intervention. Limited compliance of daily reminders is likely reflected in no statistically significant decrease in DUR. Possibly, this quality improvement project raised awareness among clinicians to improve general CAUTI prevention practices in the ICU without decreasing DUR. Given limited compliance with reminder and checklists, the intervention will be revised during the next PDSA cycle to improve adherence.

1Meddings J, Rogers MA, Krein SL, Fakih MG, Olmsted RN, Saint S. Reducing unnecessary urinary catheter use and other strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection: an integrative review. BMJ Qual Saf 2014;23:277–289.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Hand hygiene is the first defense against healthcare-associated infections, yet studies show that adherence to hand hygiene still remains low. An academic medical center selected a beacon-based automated hand hygiene reminder system to improve hand hygiene adherence. Accountability is challenging to enforce without a reliable means to measure hand hygiene adherence. The hospital used secret shoppers to observe hand hygiene adherence. This method captures an estimated 0.5%–1.7% of opportunities and may be influenced by the Hawthorne effect. Methods: In November 2018, a phased trial of an electronic hand hygiene reminder system began in 4 intensive care units (ICUs). The system selected used a badge and beacon technology. The badge identifies each care provider and displays colored lights to show adherence status. Beacons are present on the patient’s bed, soap, and hand sanitizer dispenser. These beacons establish a “patient zone” that captures opportunities for hand hygiene. The specialty beds in the ICUs were supposed to remain on the units. A patient transferring to a lower level of care would be placed on another bed or gurney when leaving the ICU. ICU staff were badged for the system. Results: The phased implementation strategy had challenges with beds, badges, and the system. Despite planning, education, and communication, the beds left the ICU area, so the beaconed beds were outside the ICU, and staff did not always wear their assigned badge. There were issues with the system router as well. Unit leadership and the infection control team worked on processes to get beds back into the units. The implementation team decided to provide badges to staff who regularly worked in the ICU to differentiate from consultation groups that came to the ICU (and were not badged). The system routers were plugged in at various places on the units and had become unplugged so information was not sent for reports. Despite these issues, over the year of implementation, the units did achieve an increase in hand hygiene adherence from 48% to 85%. Collectively, the units achieved a 53% reduction in central-line–associated blood stream infection (CLABSI), reducing infections from 13 to 7 and a 35% reduction in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), reducing infections from 8 to 3 as defined by the NHSN. Conclusions: When implementing a beacon-based, automated hand hygiene system, staged implementation can be challenging. To avoid these challenges, facility-wide implementation is preferable.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Antibiotics are the most prescribed medicines worldwide, accounting for 20%–30% of total drug expenditures in most settings. Antimicrobial stewardship activities can provide guidance for the most appropriate antibiotic use. Objective: In an effort to generate baseline data to guide antimicrobial stewardship recommendations, we conducted point-prevalence surveys at 3 hospitals in Kenya. Methods: Sites included referral hospitals located in Nairobi (2,000 beds), Eldoret (900 beds) and Mombasa (700 beds). [Results are presented in this order.] Hospital administrators, heads of infection prevention and control units, and laboratory department heads were interviewed about ongoing antimicrobial stewardship activities, existing infection prevention and control programs, and microbiology diagnostic capacities. Patient-level data were collected by a clinical or medical officer and a pharmacist. A subset of randomly selected, consenting hospital patients was enrolled, and data were abstracted from their medical records, treatment sheets, and nursing notes using a modified WHO point-prevalence survey form. Results: Overall, 1,071 consenting patients were surveyed from the 3 hospitals (n = 579, n = 263, and n = 229, respectively) of whom >60% were aged >18 years and 53% were female. Overall, 489 of 1,071 of patients (46%) received ≥1 antibiotic, of whom 254 of 489 (52%) received 1 antibiotic, 201 of 489 (41%) received 2 antibiotics, 31 of 489 (6%) received 3 antibiotics, and 3 of 489 (1%) received 4 antibiotics. Antibiotic use was higher among those aged <5 years: 150 of 244 (62%) compared with older individuals (337 of 822, 41%). Amoxicillin/clavulanate was the most commonly used antibiotic (66 of 387, 17%) at the largest hospital (in Nairobi) whereas ceftriaxone was the most common at the other 2 facilities: 57 of 184 (31%) in Eldoret and 55 of 190 (29%) in Mombasa. Metronidazole was the next most commonly prescribed antibiotic (15%–19%). Meropenem was the only carbapenem reported: 22 of 387 patients (6%) in Nairobi, 2 of 190 patients (1%) in Eldoret, and 8 of 184 patients (4%) in Mombasa. Stop dates or review dates were not indicated for 106 of 390 patients (27%) in Nairobi, 75 of 190 patients (40%) in Eldoret, and 113 of 184 patients (72%) in Mombasa receiving antibiotics. Of 761 antibiotic prescriptions, 45% had a least 1 missed dose. Culture and antibiotic susceptibility tests were limited to 50 of 246 patients (20%) in Nairobi, 17 of 124 patients (14%) in Eldoret, and 23 of 119 patients (19%) in Mombasa who received antibiotics. The largest hospital had an administratively recognized antimicrobial stewardship committee. Conclusions: The prevalence of antibiotic use found by our study was 46%, generally lower than the rates reported in 3 similar studies from other African countries, which ranged from 56% to 65%. However, these survey findings indicate that ample opportunities exist for improving antimicrobial stewardship efforts in Kenya considering the high usage of empiric therapy and low microbiologic diagnostic utilization.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None