Background: An important aspect of antimicrobial stewardship is the qualitative assessment of antimicrobial prescribing. Owing to lack of standardized tools and resources required to design, conduct and analyze qualitative audits, these assessments are rarely performed. Objective: We designed an audit tool that was appropriate for all Australian hospital types, suited to local user requirements and including an assessment of the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescribing. Methods: In 2011, a pilot survey was conducted in 32 Australian hospitals to assess the usability and generalizability of a qualitative audit tool. The tool was revised to reflect the respondents’ feedback. A second study was performed in 2012 in 85 hospitals. In 2013, following further feedback and refinement, an online auditing tool, the Hospital National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (NAPS), was developed. Early audits demonstrated that surgical prophylaxis had the highest rates of inappropriate prescribing. In 2016, the Surgical NAPS was developed to further investigate reasons for this, and the NAPS program was further expanded to audit antimicrobial prescribing practices in Australian aged-care homes (ie, the Aged Care NAPS). Results: Between January 1, 2013, and November 12, 2019, 523 Australian public and private hospitals (53.8%) utilized the Hospital NAPS; 215 (22.1%) have utilized the Surgical NAPS; and 774 of Australian aged-care homes (29.0%) have utilized the Aged Care NAPS. National reporting has identified key target areas for quality improvement initiatives at both local and national levels. The following initiatives have been outlined in 14 public reports: improved documentation; prolonged antimicrobial prophylaxis; compliance with prescribing guidelines; appropriateness of prescribing; access to evidence-based guidelines; and improved microbiology sampling. Conclusions: By utilizing the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle for healthcare improvement and by involving end users in the design and evaluation, we have created a practical and relevant auditing program to assess both quantitative and qualitative aspects of antimicrobial prescribing in a wide range of settings. This voluntary program is now endorsed by the National Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance, partners with the Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australian Surveillance System, and is utilized by facilities to meet mandatory national accreditation standard requirements. With the success of the NAPS program in Australia, it has now been implemented in New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Fiji, and Bhutan, with plans for other countries to implement the program soon. Current research is being conducted to expand the program to include audits for family physicians, veterinarians, and remote indigenous communities, and for antifungal use.

Disclosures: None

Funding: None

Background: The epidemic NAP1/027 Clostridioides difficile strain (MLST1, ST1) that emerged in the mid-2000 is on the decline. The current distribution of C. difficile strain types and their transmission dynamics are poorly defined. We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of C. difficile isolates in 2 regions to identify the predominant multilocus sequence types (MLSTs) in community- and healthcare-associated cases and potential transmission between cases using whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. Methods: Isolates were collected through the CDC Emerging Infections Program population-based surveillance for C. difficile infections (CDI) for 3 months between 2016 and 2017 in 5 Minnesota counties and 1 New York county. Isolates were limited to incident cases (CDI in a county resident with no positive C. difficile test in the preceding 8 weeks). Cases were classified as healthcare associated (HA-CDI) or community associated (CA-CDI) based on healthcare exposures as previously described. WGS was performed on an Illumina Miseq. The CFSAN (FDA) pipeline was used to compute whole-genome SNPs, SPAdes was used for assembly, and MLST was assigned according to www.pubmlst.org. Results: Of 431 isolates, 269 originated from New York and 162 from Minnesota; 203 cases were classified as CA-CDI and 221 as HA-CDI. The proportion of CA-CDI cases was higher in Minnesota than in New York: 62% vs 38%. The predominant MLSTs across both sites were ST42 (9%), ST8 (8%), and ST2 (8%). MLSTs more frequently encountered in HA-CDI than CA-CDI included ST1 (note that this ST includes PCR Ribotype 027; 76% HA-CDI), ST53 (84% HA-CDI), and ST43 (80% HA-CDI). In contrast, ST110 (63% CA-CDI) and ST3 (67% CA-CDI) were more commonly isolated from CA-CDI cases. ST1 accounted for 7.6% of circulating strains and was more common in New York than Minnesota (10% vs 3%) and was concentrated among New York HA-CDI cases. Also, 412 isolates (1 per patient) were included in the final whole-genome SNP analysis. Of these, only 12 pairs were separated by 0–3 SNPs, indicating potential transmission, and most involved HA-CDI cases. ST1, ST17, and ST46 accounted for 8 of 12 pairs, with ST17 and ST46 potentially forming small clusters. Conclusions: This analysis provides a snapshot of the current genomic epidemiology of C. difficile across 2 geographically and epidemiologically distinct regions of the United States and supports other studies suggesting that the role of direct transmission in the spread of CDI may be limited.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background:Clostridioides difficile is a toxin-producing bacterium that is the foremost cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea in the United States. Recent epidemiologic and genomic evidence indicates that divergent C. difficile strains have varying propensities for transmission within healthcare settings. We investigated whether and how these differences are reflected in the genomic epidemiology of 2 common C. difficile strains—sequence type (ST) 1 (analogous to Ribotype 027) and ST2 (associated with Ribotypes 014/020)—across 3 geographically distinct US medical centers. Methods: Between 2011 and 2017, a convenience sample of ST1 and ST2 C. difficile clinical isolates were collected from 3 US sites: The University of Michigan Medical Center, Texas Medical Center Hospitals, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Isolates underwent whole-genome sequencing and in silico multilocus sequence typing to verify strain types. Sequences were mapped to ST1 and ST2 reference genomes and single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were identified, filtered, and used to construct pairwise SNV distance matrices. A range of pairwise SNV distance thresholds were applied to assess genetic linkages consistent with recent transmission within ST1 compared to within ST2. Proportions of genetically linked isolates were compared using 2 tests. Results: We identified 200 ST1 and 188 ST2 isolates across the 3 collection sites. Overall, ST2 was more genetically diverse than ST1 (pairwise SNV distance range, 0–156 SNVs and 0–78 SNVs, respectively). ST2 isolates displayed significantly less evidence of recent transmission: 10 ST2 isolates (5.3%) were within 2 SNVs of another isolate compared to 88 (44%) ST1 isolates (P .001) (Fig. 1). As the SNV threshold increased to 5 and 10 SNVs, this trend was maintained (all P < .001). ST2 isolates were also more likely to be genetically linked to an isolate from a different collection site than ST1 isolates. Among isolates with genetic links to at least 1 other isolate at the 5 SNV and 10 SNV thresholds, 21 of 37 and 74 of 89 ST2 isolates (57%, 83%) were linked to an isolate from a different collection site, compared to 2 of 88 and 48 of 157 ST1 isolates (2% and 31%, respectively; both P < .001). Conclusions: Compared to C. difficile ST1 isolates, ST2 isolates displayed less evidence of recent healthcare transmission and were more likely to be genetically linked to isolates from divergent collection sites. Interpreting genetic linkages among C. difficile isolates requires an understanding of regional and strain-specific genetic diversity to avoid misattribution of genetic linkages to recent transmission.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Vaccination coverage among children aged ≤18 years in Georgia remains one of the lowest in the nation with 39.3% coverage. During the 2018–2019 influenza season, the CDC reported 142 pediatric deaths, 3 of which occurred in Georgia. In a time of increasing complexity of immunization schedules, increase severity with a high level of flu-related deaths and hospitalization, it is important to understand localized factors that contribute to decrease influenza immunization and increased flu-related hospital visits among children. Methods: Data include electronic medical record chart review of 5,827 laboratory confirmed Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta visitor cases from October 1, 2016, to September 24, 2019. System-wide county level data included 3 pediatric hospitals, 5 primary care facilities, 8 urgent care facilities, and 2 outpatient clinics. Characteristics associated with disparities in vaccine were explored using univariate and multiple regressions analysis. Of those children with a primary care physician (PCP), 30% had flu vaccinations, whereas only 16.5% of those without a PCP had been vaccinated (P ≤ .00001). There was a positive relationship between increased county influenza rate and percentage of children in county who were preschoolers <5 years old (r = 0.93; P ≤ .05). Moreover, 78% of children who received the flu vaccine ≤ 2 weeks prior to a confirmed flu diagnosis got the flu during peak flu periods (r = 0.29; P ≤ .05). Predictors of increased flu rate per 1,000 children were associated with flu vaccines given ≤2 weeks before a lab confirmed flu diagnosis (P ≤ .02). Children in counties that had a higher rate of flu during the peak period also had an overall higher rate of flu (P ≤ .005). The higher the percentage of children who got flu during peak flu period, the lower the vaccination rate for the county (P ≤ .001). The percentage of children ≤18 years old with no health insurance was associated with lower vaccination rates in the county (P ≤ .004). There appears to be a positive relationship between receiving flu vaccine 2 weeks prior to lab-confirmed flu diagnosis and onset of illness during the peak flu periods. Missed opportunities to obtain a flu vaccine by a PCP were associated with increased flu-related hospital visits and lower vaccination rates. Results may support predischarge hospital vaccinations and the promotion of flu vaccination education. Pediatric research is needed to facilitate localized PCP vaccination or predischarge hospital vaccinations prior to peak flu periods when hospital-related flu visits increase.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) following open heart surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) among pediatric patients are healthcare-associated infections associated with significant morbidity and mortality. At a pediatric acute-care facility, an increase in SSI incidence prompted an epidemiologic review. We describe the incidence of cardiac SSIs at our hospital; we identified risk factors and areas of practice variation to inform improvement initiatives. Methods: SSI cases following CPB at our hospital have been identified through routine surveillance using NHSN definitions since January 2016. An increase in cases was noted in mid-2018, prompting a common cause analysis with stakeholders across the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care continuum. Areas of practice variability were identified, and an epidemiologic review was performed to determine risk factors among cases compared to noncases between January 2016 and August 2018. The rate of SSIs and 95% confidence intervals were estimated, and univariate logistic regressions were fitted to estimate unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) for the association between each of the predetermined preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors and developing an SSI. Results: Overall, 139 patients underwent surgery involving CPB between January 1, 2016, and August 31, 2018. Preoperative bathing was infrequently documented (9% among cases vs 5% among noncases; P = .56). Operating room observations identified frequent door openings and equipment crowding. Moreover, 11 patients (7.9%) developed a cardiac SSI, with 6 (14.3%) occurring in the first 8 months of 2018 (P = .067). There were no predominant pathogens; 3 of 11 cases were associated with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. Also, 9 cases were classified as deep incisional or organ-space SSI. Each hour increase in total CPB duration was associated with a 63% increase in odds of developing an SSI (OR, 1.626; 95% CI, 1.041–2.539). Each additional day of intubation (OR, 2.400; 95% CI, 1.203–4.788) and peritoneal dialysis (OR, 1.767; 95% CI, 1.070–2.919) during the first 3 days postoperatively were also associated with increased SSI risk. Postoperative documentation of wound assessment occurred in 60% of patients, with no difference between cases and noncases (55% vs 67%; P = .42). Conclusions: Using a mixed-methods approach, preoperative bathing, increased operating room traffic, and postoperative care around wounds and invasive devices were identified as areas of improvement toward safer surgical care. Although no unique organism or process explained the increased rate, determining risk factors and areas of practice variability through stakeholder engagement provided insight into opportunities to prevent SSIs.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Worldwide, medical staff adherence to hand hygiene (HH), the most cost-effective measure to decrease healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), is ~40%–60%. The infection control program (ICP) at An-Najah National University Hospital (NNUH), a tertiary-care referral teaching hospital located in Nablus, in northern Palestine, monitors HH compliance by direct observations using the WHO observation checklist. In this descriptive study, we investigated the prevalence of HH across the institution during 2017–2019. Methods: The WHO multimodal strategy to enhance HH in healthcare settings was implemented at NNUH, a tertiary-care referral hospital, in 2017. HH compliance has been measured during routine patient care by direct observation by ICP team and anonymously by other trained observers. Results are reported on monthly basis to the administration and medical team (nurses and doctors), and corrective plans to increase the compliance are discussed. Training is reinforced with ultraviolet light and fluorescent alcohol-based hand rub. Yearly, staff are engaged in HH Day activities (Figs. 1 and 2). Leadership support is constant by securing the annual budget for the HH program and the enforcement of HH policy across the setting. Results: NNUH, using the WHO Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework, is currently in the advanced level (395 of 500) compared to 2017 (intermediate level, 292 of 500). Overall, HCW HH compliance increased from 44% (range, 31%–57%) in 2017 to 53% (range, 30%–72%) in 2018 and to 61% (range, 55%–66%) through October 2019. During the 3-year study period, Nursing compliance increased from 36% to 59% and to 64%, respectively, whereas the compliance for doctors increased from 42% to 56% and 58%, respectively. Regarding the missed opportunities, before patient was the most frequent cause for missed opportunity with a rate of 60% (Fig. 3). This missed opportunity was mainly related to the misuse of gloves (mainly among nurses), which requires an ad hoc intervention. Conclusions: Implementation of the WHO HH strategy is feasible and effective in low-income countries and leads to significant improvements in compliance. Periodic training, personnel engagement, and leadership are key factors of HH improvement in our setting.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: The American British Cowdray Medical Center I.A.P., also known as ABC Medical Center, is a highly specialized hospital and private assistance institution located in Mexico City. The ABC Medical Center implemented hand hygiene policies since around 2009, when Mexico committed to patient security. However, hand hygiene compliance remained low. Methods: The objective of the Hand Hygiene 90/90 program was to increase hand hygiene compliance through an integral strategy including a multidisciplinary team with leaders from different areas (nursing, physicians, human resources, quality, and educators). It was named 90/90 because it aimed to accomplish a 90% hand hygiene compliance among all health providers and hospital staff in 90 days (October 1–December 29) upon entering and exiting patient rooms (ie, In & Out). The Hand Hygiene 90/90 program led by the epidemiology area consisted of 5 specific components: management, supplies, education, monitoring, and social marketing (Fig. 1). For a period of 90 days, several permanent actions were implemented; they had a positive influence on the expected outcome (Fig. 2). Results: The starting point at the ABC Medical Center upon launching the program was 70% compliance. With the Hand Hygiene 90/90 program, the first steady change was observed at the end of November 2012 (ie, the sixth measurement point). An 88% compliance was achieved, all compliance was >50% from this point on. The highest compliance was achieved among health providers (doctors and nurses), followed by administrative staff. At the end of December 2012, 91% compliance was achieved by all health providers and hospital staff. Sustainability has been possible over the years through ongoing hand hygiene campaigns. In the 5 years following the implementation of the program, hand hygiene compliance remained mostly below the 90% standard (Fig. 3). Conclusions: An intervention for continuous improvement and hand hygiene compliance using the WHO 5 Moments was implemented throughout 2018, (in addition to the In & Out program). This intervention also incorporated elements of the WHO Multimodal Strategy 1 to develop a comprehensive hand hygiene program together with new indicators. The ABC Medical Center, with the support and leadership of the Ministry of Health, aims to become an example of institutions that achieve national and international benchmarks in the implementation of patient safety programs that are not only successful but also sustainable.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Hand hygiene is one of the most effective measures to prevent healthcare-associated infections and transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare settings. The WHO proposes a multimodal intervention strategy to improve hand hygiene in healthcare settings. In 2008, a voluntary national campaign for hand hygiene was implemented in the German healthcare system. The objective of this study was to evaluate participation, practices, and performance of hand hygiene in German acute-care hospitals. Methods: In 2008 a national hand hygiene campaign began in Germany. Based on voluntary participation, the campaign’s goal was to implement the WHO 5 Moments model, to establish a national surveillance system for compliance to hand hygiene, to improve availability of alcohol-based hand-rub (ABHR) dispensers at points of care, and to implement interdisciplinary executive boards at each hospital to ensure sustainable implementation. Annual data on ABHR consumption and patient days (PD) were collected within the national surveillance system (HAND-KISS) on the individual ward level and were validated. Direct observation of compliance was performed according the recommendations of the WHO. Results: Overall, 1,047 of 1,942 acute-care hospitals in Germany participated in the national hand hygiene campaign in 2018, covering 81,571,917 patient days. Moreover, 9,360 regular wards (RWs), 338 intermediate care units (IMCs) and 1,342 intensive care units (ICUs) provided data on ABHR consumption. Between 2007 and 2018 in the ICU, ABHR consumption increased continuously from 70 mL/PD (IQR, 52–98) to 129 mL/PD (IQR, 102–162). In intermediate care units, ABHR consumption increased from 40 mL/PD (IQR, 15–54) to 67 mL/PD (IQR, 46–95), and on regular wards, ABHR consumption increased from 14 mL/PD (IQR, 10–21) to 29 mL/PD (IQR, 22–39). These increases were especially pronounced in wards that continuously provided annual data for ABHR consumption over the past 12 years. In 2014, electronic documentation for direct observation of compliance to hand hygiene was established. From 2014 until 2018, 1,598,209 opportunities were observed on 1,907 wards of 422 hospitals. The median directly observed compliance in 2018 was 76% (IQR, 66%–84%). Median compliance to the 5 Moments was 71% (IQR, 57%–82%) before touching a patient, 68% (IQR, 51%–85%) before clean or aseptic procedures, 83% (IQR, 72%–92%) after body fluid exposure or risk, 84% (IQR, 75%–90%) after touching a patient, and 74% (IQR, 61%–84%) after touching patient surroundings. Conclusions: The WHO multimodal intervention strategy has been successfully established in German acute-care hospitals. A surveillance system for ABHR consumption and direct observation of compliance to hand hygiene are widely used by hospitals in Germany. Hand hygiene practices have significantly improved in the German healthcare system.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) and Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) both pose significant diagnostic challenges. Excess testing has implications for hospital-associated infection surveillance and may also lead to overtreatment and associated patient risk. Accurate diagnosis requires stewardship efforts to ensure that the correct patients are tested appropriately. In coordination with clinicians and microbiology labs, hospital infection prevention departments can aid diagnostic stewardship efforts by creating policies for order indications and proper test collection methods and by developing electronic medical record (EMR) support for diagnostic and treatment algorithms. The prevalence of these practices in Oregon, however, is unknown. Methods: We deployed a web-based survey to infection preventionists at all 61 acute-care hospitals in Oregon in January 2019. Responses were collected through April 2019, and a subset of applicable questions were analyzed. Results: Of 61 acute-care hospitals, 58 (95%) responded. A response from a single long-term acute-care hospital was excluded. For urinary tract infections (UTIs), a minority of hospitals reported having policies requiring annual sterile urine collection training for registered nurses (n = 7, 12%), annual observation of the RN sterile urine collection procedure (n = 1, 2%), or use of boric acid containers for urine collection (n = 10, 17%). UTI testing and treatment algorithms embedded in the electronic medical record (EMR) were more common (Fig. 1). Regarding urine culture reflex policies, 39 facilities (68%) reported reflexing abnormal urinalyses to culture only if ordered, whereas 14 respondents (25%) reported automatically reflexed all abnormal urinalyses to culture. For Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), respondents reported using a variety of methods to discourage inappropriate testing (Fig. 2). Although almost all facilities (n = 53, 93%) reported having a policy to reject formed stool, less than half (n = 27, 47%) reported having a policy to reject stool in patients receiving laxatives. Furthermore, 74% of respondents (n = 42) had a published testing algorithm, more than twice the 18 (32%) hospitals that reported having a comparable UTI algorithm. Conclusions: Infection prevention departments in Oregon acute-care hospitals utilize a variety of tools to contribute to diagnostic and treatment stewardship for UTI and CDI. Our survey revealed many opportunities for improvement in UTI and C. difficile testing and treatment stewardship in Oregon hospitals. For example, although most hospitals reject formed stool for CDI testing, policies for other diagnosis and treatment stewardship techniques were much less commonly employed. Future work will compare the results of this survey to a set of similar questions on a statewide microbiology laboratory survey, assess best practices, and form consensus recommendations on stewardship practices for the state.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Health departments have been increasingly called upon to monitor healthcare associated-infections (HAIs) at the hospital- or facility-level and provide targeted assistance when high rates are identified. Health department capacity to effectively respond to these types of signals depends not only on technical expertise but also the legal and regulatory authority to intervene. Methods: We reviewed annual reports describing HAI and antibiotic resistance (HAI/AR) activities from CDC-funded HAI/AR programs for August 2017 through July 2018. We performed a qualitative data analysis on all 50 state health department responses to a question about their regulatory and legal authority to intervene or assist facilities without invitation when outbreaks are suspected (as determined by the health department) or high HAI rates have been identified (eg, based on NHSN data). Results: When an outbreak is identified, 31 health departments (62%) indicated that they have the authority to intervene without invitation from a facility and 8 (16%) did not specify. Among the 11 health departments (22%) that indicated that they do not have this authority, 5 (45%) states noted that they operate under decentralized systems in which the local health department can intervene in outbreak situations and the state health department is available to assist. When a health department identifies high HAI rates, 14 health departments (28%) indicated that they have the authority to intervene without invitation, 22 (44%) indicated that they do not, and 14 (28%) did not specify. Among those in the latter categories, 3 stated they can work through their local health departments, which do have this authority and 8 described working through partners (eg, State Hospital Association, n = 3 or State Healthcare Licensing Agency, n = 5). Discussion: Assistance from state health departments (eg, HAI/AR programs) in the context of outbreaks and high HAI rates has value that is usually well recognized and welcomed by healthcare facilities. Nonetheless, there are occasions when a health department might need to exert its authority to intervene. The preliminary analysis described here indicated that this authority was more commonly self-reported in the context of outbreaks than when high HAI rates are identified. These 2 situations are connected, as high rates might be indicative of unrecognized or unreported outbreak activity, and these issues may benefit from further analysis.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: During 2017–2019 in the Chicago region, several ventilator-capable skilled nursing facilities (vSNFs) participated in a quality improvement project to control the spread of highly prevalent carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). With guidance from regional project coordinators and public health departments that involved education, assistance with implementation, and adherence monitoring, the facilities implemented a CRE prevention bundle that included a hand hygiene campaign that promoted alcohol-based hand rub, contact precautions (personal protective equipment with glove/gown) for care of CRE-colonized residents, and 2% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) wipes for routine resident bathing. We conducted a qualitative study to better understand the ways that vSNF employees engage with the implementation of such infection control measures. Methods: A PhD-candidate medical anthropologist conducted semistructured interviews with management (N = 5), nursing staff (N = 6), and certified nursing assistants (N = 6) at a vSNF in the Chicago region (Illinois) between September 2018 and November 2018. More than 11 hours of semistructured interviews were collected and transcribed. Data collection and analysis focused on identifying healthcare worker experiences during an infection control intervention. Transcriptions of the data were analyzed using thematic coding aided by MAXQDA qualitative analysis software. Results: Healthcare workers described the facility using language associated with a family environment (Table 1). Furthermore, healthcare workers demonstrated motivation to implement infection control policies (Table 2). However, healthcare workers expressed cultural and structural challenges encountered during implementation, such as their belief that some infection control measures discouraged maintenance of a home-like environment, lack of time, and understaffing. Some healthcare workers perceived that alcohol-based hand rub was ineffective over time and left unpleasant textures on the skin. Additionally, some workers did not trust the available gown and gloves used to prevent transmission. Lastly, healthcare workers typically did not prefer 2% CHG wipes over soap and water, citing residual resident postbathing smell as one indicator of CHG ineffectiveness. Conclusions: In a vSNF we found both considerable support and challenges implementing a CRE prevention bundle from the healthcare worker perspective. Healthcare workers were dedicated to recreating a home-like environment for their residents, which sometimes felt at odds with infection control interventions. Residual misconceptions (eg, alcohol-based hand rub is not effective) and negative worker perceptions (eg, permeability of contact precaution gowns and/or residue from alcohol-based hand rub) suggest that ongoing education and participation by healthcare workers in evaluating infection control products for interventions is critical.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: During a 2017–2019 intervention in Chicago-area vSNFs to control carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, healthcare worker adherence to hand hygiene and personal protective equipment was stubbornly inadequate (hand hygiene adherence, ~16% and 56% on entry and exit), despite educational and monitoring efforts. Little is known about vSNF staff understanding of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) transmission. We conducted a qualitative analysis of staff members at a vSNF that included assessment of staff perceptions of personal MDRO acquisition risk and associated personal hygiene routines transitioning from work to home. Methods: Between September 2018 and November 2018, a PhD-candidate medical anthropologist conducted semistructured interviews with management (N = 5), nursing staff (N = 6), and certified nursing assistants (N = 6) at a vSNF in the Chicago region (Illinois) who had already received 1 year of MDRO staff education and hand hygiene adherence monitoring. More than 11 hours of semistructured interviews were collected and transcribed. Data collection and analysis included identifying how staff members related to their own risk of MDRO acquisition/infection and what personal hygiene routines they followed. Transcriptions of the data were analyzed using thematic coding aided by MAXQDA qualitative analysis software. Results: Staff members at all levels were able to describe their perceptions related to the risk of acquiring an MDRO and personal hygiene in great detail. The risk of acquiring an MDRO was perceived as a constant threat by staff members, who described germs as bad and everywhere (Table 1). The perceived threat of MDRO acquisition was connected to individual personal hygiene routines (eg, changing shoes before leaving work), which were considered important by staff members (Table 2). Nursing staff and certified nursing assistants noted that personal hygiene was a critical factor keeping their residents, themselves, and their families free from MDROs. Conclusions: In the context of a quality improvement campaign, vSNF healthcare workers are aware of the transmissibility of microscopic MDROs and are highly motivated in preventing transmission of MDROs to themselves. Such perceptions may explain actions such as why workers may be differentially adherent with infection control interventions (eg, more likely to perform hand hygiene leaving a room rather than going into a room, or less likely to change gowns in between residents in multibed rooms if they believe they are already personally protected with a gown). Our findings suggest that interventions to improve staff adherence to infection control measures may need to address other factors related to adherence besides knowledge deficit (eg, understaffing) and may need to acknowledge self-protection as a driving motivator for staff adherence.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health in the province of Alberta, Canada conducts surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) on all individuals admitted to acute-care and acute tertiary-care rehabilitation care facilities. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the consistency and accuracy of infection decisions for MRSA and VRE. Methods: Surveillance cases of antibiotic-resistant organisms (AROs) collected using the provincial data entry surveillance platform between April 1, 2015, and March 31, 2017, across the province were reabstracted by infection control professionals and physicians using the NHSN infection definitions and compared to the original case severity decisions. Interrater agreement (Cohen’s ) and validity (sensitivity, specificity and predictive values) were calculated to compare the original and reabstracted infection decisions. Results: Collectively, 97% (87 of 90) of the IPC program staff and physicians who were initially invited re-abstracted 264 MRSA cases and 103 VRE cases within the review period. Provincially, 20% of the ARO cases reviewed (74 of 367) differed from the original infection decision. Among these 74 cases, 46 cases (34 MRSA and 12 VRE cases) changed from infection (original decision) to colonization (reabstracted decision) and 28 cases (21 MRSA and 7 VRE cases) changed from colonization to infection. The Cohen values for MRSA and VRE were 0.55 and 0.56, respectively, suggesting a moderate level of agreement for decisions made among IPC program staff. The sensitivity of the infection decision was higher with MRSA (86.5%) than for VRE (74.1%), meaning that there were more MRSA cases than VRE cases classified as infection in the original decision that remained infection following the review. Conclusions: Observed discordances on infection decisions were identified and may be attributed (1) to variations in the interpretation of the NHSN definitions, (2) to additional information that may have been available in the re-abstracted review compared to the original review, or (3) a difference in the information that was accessed to perform the original review compared to the reabstraction. This data-quality review provided an opportunity for IPC staff and physicians to become more familiar with infection definitions and such reviews will continue to be a regular process used to assess data quality within the IPC department.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) are one of the most frequently observed hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Objectives: We aimed to describe the epidemiology and drug resistance of hospital-acquired Enterobacteriaceae BSIs and to check for any correlation with the type of hospital care. Methods: In 2015–2018, 333 Enterobacteriaceae isolates were collected from hospitalized internal medicine and surgical patients. The drug-resistance testing was conducted according to the EUCAST recommendations, using the disc-diffusion method to determine resistance to penicillin, cephalosporins, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim. Tests confirming the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and KPC, NDM, and OXA-48 carbapenemases were performed. We determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values (mg/L) for selected antibiotics. To detect the resistance genes, a single PCR reaction, a multiplex PCR, and a real-time PCR were conducted. Results: The prevalence rate of Enterobacteriaceae bacilli in BSIs was 23.5%. Penicillin resistance remained at a very high level of almost 100%, with only the piperacillin-tazobactam resistance remaining at 19%–22%. The same was true for cephalosporins: the bacilli have only shown a high susceptibility to cefoperazone with sulbactam (4%–14% of them were resistant). Ciprofloxacin (53%–62%) and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim (48–55%) have proven highly resistant. Carbapenems were the only antibiotics with susceptibility at 98%–99%. No difference was found between the types of hospital care (surgical vs nonsurgical) and the levels of antimicrobial resistance in the studied Enterobacteriaceae isolates (Table 1). Conclusions: The high prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae bacilli in BSI is particularly worrying, as is the high rate of resistance to cephalosporins and aminoglycosides, which are often used in the empirical therapy. Unfortunately, our results indicate the need to base the empirical therapy on carbapenems.

Funding: This work was supported by a grant from Jagiellonian Univerity Medical School (No. N41/DBS/000053)

Disclosures: None

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the biological, microbiological, and healthcare factors related to the occurrence of nosocomial pneumonia in our confirmed cases during 2017–2019. Methods: We conducted a case series study. For the selection of the cases we used the CDC criteria for hospital-acquired pneumonia, we collected cases from the data set for healthcare-associated infections from a tertiary-care hospital in Mexico City. For the quantitative analysis, we used Stata v14 software, and we obtained frequencies, proportions, accumulated incidence rate, lethality rate, central tendency, and dispersion metrics. This study was a secondary data set analysis; we obtained signed authorization for the use of the data from the Epidemiological Surveillance Unit. Results: During our analysis period (January 2017 to June 2019), we identified 107 cases that fulfilled the CDC criteria: 47 cases (43.93%) from 2017, 38 cases (35.51%) from 2018, and 20.56% from 2019. The month that reported the highest frequency was February, with 17 cases (15.89%). The median age was 63 years (range, 0–97 years; IQR, 36). The most affected age group was 65 years (48.60%), and the most affected 5-year age group was 75–79 years (13.08%). Moreover, 60 cases (56.07%) were men and 47 (43.93%) were women. Regarding the reason for discharge, 71% were discharged due to improvement, 27% died, and 2% were transferred to another healthcare facility. Also, 17 patients (15.89%) required readmission due to respiratory illness within 72 hours of previous discharge. The most common diagnosis was a solid malignant neoplasm (20.19%), followed by heart or vascular malformation or anomaly (12.50%). The mean inpatient hospital stay was 39.95 days (46.40; median, 27 days, range, 2–317 days; IQR 35 days). The median time elapsed until detection was 14 days. The hospitalization area with the most cases was the intensive care unit, with 24 cases (22.43%); the service with most cases was oncology with 21 cases (20.56%). The most isolated pathogen was Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14%). Moreover, 59% were gram-negative, 36% were gram-positive, 19.67% were viruses, and 14.75% were fungi. Our accumulated-incidence-rate was 0.58 cases per 1,000 patient days and our case-fatality-rate was 25.23%. Furthermore, 41% of cases required invasive mechanical ventilation, 52.34% required noninvasive mechanical ventilation, 5% cases had an endo-pleural tube, 9.35% had a nasogastric tube, and 41.12% had a central venous catheter. The most-prescribed antimicrobial was meropenem (33.33%), and meropenem-resistance was 61.54%. Conclusions: Infection prevention efforts should target oncological patients, critical-care units, and the elderly. We must reinforce our antimicrobial policy due to our overprescription of carbapenems. Early detection is needed to reduce mortality.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: The ongoing hepatitis A outbreak in the United States has concerned public health authorities since March 2017. The outbreak has already spread throughout 30 states and includes primarily homeless individuals and persons who use drugs, including persons who inject drugs (PWIDs). Contaminated drug injection paraphernalia and sharing of these items are suspected to be one of multiple causes of hepatitis A virus (HAV) transmission in those populations. Methods: We used a standard plaque assay to investigate HAV infectivity. Liquid suspensions of HAV were tested to examine the effects of time and temperature on viral infectivity. We also examined HAV survival on commonly used drug paraphernalia, such as needles, syringes, cookers, tourniquets, and cotton balls/filters frequently shared among PWIDs. We investigated the effect of low pH on HAV survival using citric acid, which is frequently used by PWIDs during dose preparation. We also compared the plaque assay results with those concurrently obtained by RT-PCR to establish whether viral HAV RNA levels could be used as surrogates for plaque assay results. Results: We found that HAV suspended in PBS at room temperature was able to infect FRhk4 cells for >17 weeks. HAV remained viable in syringes and needles (ie, semidry conditions) for up to 10 weeks depending on the size of the needles and the syringe dead volume. HAV survival in dry conditions on cooker, tourniquet, and cotton balls/filter surfaces did not exceed 4 weeks. HAV retained its infectivity for >10 weeks at pH as low as 2. PCR results suggest that RNA is amplified from both infectious and noninfectious HAV. Conclusions: Our findings show that HAV can survive and remain infective in the PWID setting for 4–10 weeks depending on the type of paraphernalia examined. These findings suggest that sharing drug paraphernalia by the homeless and PWIDs can potentially facilitate the transmission of HAV within these populations. Moreover, our results confirm that the plaque assay is currently the only reliable method to determine the infectivity of HAV in vitro.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission at outpatient hemodialysis clinics is well documented, but little is known about HCV transmission risks in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) providing hemodialysis services. LTCFs can provide onsite hemodialysis for residents by contracting with a licensed hemodialysis clinic to either provide its staff to the LTCF or to train LTCF staff as caregivers. In August 2019, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) was notified about an HCV seroconversion in patient A at a LTCF providing onsite hemodialysis. Methods: Three residents (including patient A) were receiving hemodialysis at the LTCF in August 2019; patients B and C had chronic HCV infection upon admission. Records were reviewed for medical history, behavioral risk factors, and healthcare exposures. We conducted onsite infection control assessments and interviewed staff. Serum specimens were collected for all 3 patients in August 2019 and HCV tested for genetic similarity using Global Hepatitis Outbreak Surveillance Technology (GHOST). Results: The facility reported initiating onsite hemodialysis in November 2018; facility staff were trained by a dialysis provider. Patient A, admitted in September 2018, was anti-HCV negative in June 2019 and both anti-HCV and HCV RNA positive in July 2019. Patient B was admitted in December 2018, discharged for 1 month in May 2019, and then readmitted. Patients A and B reported previous injection drug use, and they were not observed by staff to use during their stay and had limited mobility. Patient A was wheelchair confined and B was bed confined. Patient C was admitted in May 2019. HCV samples from patients A and B both had HCV genotype 1b and demonstrated 100% genetic relatedness, indicating that patient B was the likely source. Patient C had HCV genotype 1a. Hemodialysis was provided to residents simultaneously in a converted resident room with 4 hemodialysis stations, and the LTCF operated 2 shifts, 3 times per week. We observed multiple infection control gaps, such as preparation of IV medications and inadequate disinfection in the shared dialysis treatment area. Recommendations addressing gaps were issued, and a follow-up site visit was conducted to validate implementation. With the exception of May 2019, patients A and B received hemodialysis on the same shift and days from December 2018 to September 2019. Conclusions: Phylogenetic and epidemiological results indicate HCV transmission likely occurred during hemodialysis services provided by the LTCF. As the provision of dialysis expands to nontraditional settings such as LTCFs, it is essential that proper infection control procedures and oversight are in place.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Objectives: There is local and regional deficiency in the data examining the contribution of resistant pathogens to device-associated healthcare-associated infections (DA-HAIs). We examined such data in a multihospital system in Saudi Arabia in comparison with the US NHSN reports. Methods: Surveillance of DA-HAIs was prospectively conducted between 2008 and 2016 in 4 hospitals of Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs. Consecutive NHSN reports were used for comparison. Definitions and methodology of DA-HAIs and bacterial resistance were based on the NHSN reports. Results: In total, 1,260 pathogens causing 1,141 DA-HAI events were included. Gram-negative pathogens (GNPs) were responsible for 62.5% of DA-HAIs, with significantly higher Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Enterobacter than NHSN hospitals. Approximately 28.3% of GNPs and 23.5% of gram-positive pathogens (GPPs) exhibited some type of resistance. Nearly 34.3% of Klebsiella were cephalosporin-resistant; 4.8% of Enterobacteriaceae were carbapenem-resistant (CRE); 24.4% of Staphylococcus aureus were methicillin-resistant (MRSA; and 21.9% of Enterococci were Vancomycin-resistant (VRE). The multidrug resistance (MDR) rates were 65.0% for Acinetobacter, 26.4% for Escherichia coli, 23.0% for Klebsiella, and 14.9% for Pseudomonas. Resistant GNPs including cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella, MDR Klebsiella, and MDR Escherichia coli were significantly more frequent than in NHSN hospitals, whereas resistant GPPs including MRSA and VRE were significantly less frequent than in NHSN hospitals. Conclusion: Compared with American hospitals, GNPs that contribute to DA-HAIs in Saudi hospitals show more resistance. The higher resistance rates in Klebsiella and Escherichia coli are alarming and call for effective antimicrobial stewardship programs.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background. Colonization pressure at the unit level is known to be a risk factor for Clostridioides difficile infections in hospitals. Because C. difficile colonization is not routinely detected in clinical practice, only patients identified as having C. difficile infection (CDI) are included in these pressure calculations. We used data from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) to determine whether highly local CDI pressure, due to patients in nearby rooms, is more strongly correlated with CDI than unit-level CDI pressure. Methods: We designed a base logistic regression model using variables known to be risk factors for CDI: age, antibiotic/gastric acid suppressor use, low albumin, prior hospitalization, comorbidities. To the base model, we add 2 measures, mean colonization pressure (MCP) and sum colonization pressure (SCP) of CDI at the unit level to obtain new models. To the base model, we also added CDI colonization pressure by considering CDI cases at different distance thresholds from the focal patient. Distances between patient rooms were extracted from hospital floor plans. Results: Adding unit-level CDI colonization pressures to the base model improved performance. However, adding CDI colonization pressures due to roommates and due to patients at different distances improved the model much more (Table 1). The top (resp. bottom) row shows in-sample (resp. out-of-sample) C-statistics for the base model, the base model with unit-level MCP, the base model with roommate MCP, and the base model with MCP from patients are different distances added as separate features. C-statistics for the base model and the base model with unit CDI pressure (SCP and MCP) are compared in Fig. 1 with C-statistics from the base model with CDI pressure from patients at distances D = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20 hops (1 hop = 5–6 meters). Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that unit CDI colonization pressure is a risk factor for CDI. However, by incorporating spatially granular notions of distances between patients in our analysis, we were able to demonstrate that the true source of CDI pressure at the UIHC is almost exclusively attributable to roommates and patients in adjacent rooms.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Background:Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging pathogen responsible for high morbidity and mortality rates. Hospital infections caused by this bacteria, especially in intensive care centers, are concerning for the health system, given that the microorganism is multidrug resistant to most antimicrobials available. Objective: Therefore, the present study is built from an analysis of the variables related to nosocomial infections caused by S. maltophilia in hospitals in Brazil, to display points of major concern. Methods: We used the data collected by the Infection Prevention and Control Service to clarify the incidence rate of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Brazilian hospitals as well as the gross lethality of these infections and the profiles of infected patients. We collected and analyzed epidemiological data from 10 hospitals in Brazil for the period July 2014 to June 2019 according to the CDC NHSN protocol. Results: In 5 years, 93 Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections were diagnosed in the hospitals analyzed. Overall, 61 occurred in men (66%) and 32 occurred in women (34%). Furthermore, 47 cases (51%) occurred in adult ICUs; 19 cases (20%) followed zascular surgery; 9 (10%) cases occurred in the neonatal ICU; 7 (8%) cases were from the medical clinic; and 11 (12%) were from other clinics. The incidence rate was 1.2 cases for 10,000 hospitalizations, ranging from 0.0 to 2.8 (Fig. 1). Patients’ ages ranged from 0 to 90 years, with a mean of 55 years (SD, 26 years) and a median of 64 years. Time between admission and diagnosis of infection was 1 to 102 days, with a mean of 24 days (SD, 21 days) and a median of 17 days. The gross lethality for S. maltophilia infection was 43 of 93 (46%) (95% CI, 35.8%–56.9%). The frequencies of specific infections were as follows (Fig. 2): pneumonia, 26 (28%); tracheobronchitism, 22 (24%); primary bloodstream infection, 18 (19%); skin and soft-tissue infection, 13 (14%); local infection, 7 (8%); vascular access infection, 3 (3%); urinary tract infection, 2 (2%); gastrointestinal infection, 1 (1%); and eye, nose, throat, and mouth infections, 1 (1%). Conclusions:Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection is a rare and highly lethal event that usually occurs after 2 weeks of hospitalization. The most affected region is the respiratory tract, with a higher incidence in patients aged >60 years or in the ICU. Early and accurate investigations of multiresistant microorganisms in a hospital setting are needed to reduce patient morbidity and mortality.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None