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Abstract Background Indwelling urinary tract catheters (UTC) are a well-known risk factor for urinary tract infections (UTI). Because geriatric patients are at high risk of infection, an intervention with a focus on appropriate and minimal UTC use was introduced in 4 acute care geriatric wards. Methods Between 11/2018 and 1/2020, unit-based data on UTC use and nosocomial UTI was collected in accordance with the methods of the German national surveillance system KISS. From 6/2019 to 1/2020, a champion-led intervention was implemented which focused on: (i) feedback of surveillance data, (ii) education and training in aseptic UTC insertion and maintenance, (iii) HCW’s daily assessment of UTC necessity based on a checklist and (iv) timely removal of unnecessary UTCs. UTC use, incidence, and incidence densities for catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI) were calculated before and during the intervention. In addition, we analyzed adherence to a scheduled daily assessment of UTC necessity. Rate ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated. Differences based on the quality of checklist completion were evaluated using the Kruskal Wallis test. Results We analyzed the data of 3,564 patients with a total 53,954 patient days, 9,208 UTC days, and 61 CAUTI. Surveillance data showed a significant decrease in the pooled UTC utilization rate from 19.1/100 patient days to 15.2/100 patient days (RR = 0.80, 95%CI 0.77–0.83, p

Abstract Despite remarkable developments in the use of surgical techniques, ergonomic advancements in the operating room, and implementation of bundles, surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a substantial burden, associated with increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. National and international recommendations to prevent SSIs have been published, including recent guidelines by the World Health Organization, but implementation into clinical practice remains an unresolved issue. SSI improvement programs require an integrative approach with measures taken during the pre-, intra- and postoperative care from the numerous stakeholders involved. The current SSI prevention strategies have focused mainly on the role of healthcare workers (HCWs) and procedure related risk factors. The importance and influence of patient participation is becoming an increasingly important concept and advocated as a means to improve patient safety. Novel interventions supporting an active participative role within SSI prevention programs have not been assessed. Empowering patients with information they require to engage in the process of SSI prevention could play a major role for the implementation of recommendations. Based on available scientific evidence, a panel of experts evaluated options for patient involvement in order to provide pragmatic recommendations for pre-, intra- and postoperative activities for the prevention of SSIs. Recommendations were based on existing guidelines and expert opinion. As a result, 9 recommendations for the surgical patient are presented here, including a practice brief in the form of a patient information leaflet. HCWs can use this information to educate patients and allow patient engagement.

Abstract In a previous study, we demonstrated prolonged length of hospital stay in cases of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-positive K. pneumoniae bacteremia compared to bacteremia cases due to E. coli (ESBL-positive and –negative) and ESBL-negative K. pneumoniae. The overall mortality was significantly higher in bacteremia cases resulting from ESBL-positive pathogens but also in K. pneumoniae cases disregarding ESBL-production. In order to examine whether pathogen species rather than multidrug resistance might affect mortality risk, we reanalyzed our dataset that includes 1.851 cases of bacteremia.