The infection prevention control programs of our healthcare systems underwent a huge stress test with COVID-19 .” — Thomas R . Talbot , MD , MPH , FSHEA the infections most impacted during the worst of the pandemic were related to indwelling medical devices .
“ When you look at the infections that were most affected by COVID-19 , it ’ s those that are related to devices that require proper day-to-day handling and care ,” he says , “ compared to surgical site infections which are a bit more controlled or regimented in the operating room . And when you consider those day-to-day practices and the challenges around COVID-19 when people were exhausted , busy and stretched , compounded by a shortage of the proper supplies , those were sort of the proverbial canaries-in-the-coal-mine – those infections got worse because we couldn ’ t deliver the same attention to detail that we had to for COVID-19 infections . Other factors that we ’ ve seen in play include turnover in staffing . We ’ ve seen nationally during the pandemic and beyond a lot of nursing personnel who left their institutions to either become traveling nurses , or they went to other areas in healthcare , or they left the occupation completely . So , hospitals experienced a great deal of turnover of more seasoned nurses who are traditionally the ones to teach new nurses in the field . That kind of training during COVID was either spread thin or disappeared altogether , and so that called into question the infrastructure for how to onboard and train healthcare personnel .”
Talbot continues , “ To Dr . Yokoe ’ s point , the infection prevention control programs of our healthcare systems underwent a huge stress test with COVID-19 . In some ways , hospitals did some remarkable things during the pandemic , but it also drew attention away from that basic infrastructure of HAI prevention practices . Going forward , hospitals must examine their existing levels of resourcing , staffing , and components of an infection prevention and control program to ensure they are strong enough to withstand the next pandemic , whatever that is , and continue to move forward to reduce patient and healthcare personnel harm .”
As COVID-19 transitions to more of an endemic and possibly seasonal illness , clinicians will need to include SARS-CoV-2 among the pathogens of concern that hospitals address as standard operating procedure . As the threat of what is being called a “ tripledemic ” caused by the confluence of COVID-19 , influenza and RSV illnesses emerges , healthcare facilities face a scenario that could potentially trigger utilization and pose similar challenges that the pandemic did .
“ I think there is that risk ,” Talbot says . “ I don ’ t know if that would be as extreme as the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic which distracted from other basic infection prevention strategies , but any time that you have any unexpected strain on the healthcare system coupled with a weaker infection prevention and control program , you could be jeopardizing patient and healthcare personnel safety . However , if you are onboarding new healthcare workers and regularly educating existing workers in proper infection prevention and control practices , you ’ re making it easy to do the right thing regardless of how much of a strain that an RSV or flu outbreak causes . There ’ s always the risk that you could have lapses in infection control practices during outbreaks , and if you don ’ t keep your eye