Abstract
Abstract
Objective:
Understand current prevention practices used for
Candidozyma auris
and identify target areas for improvement.
Design:
Electronic survey.
Setting:
Long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs).
Participants:
National Association of Long-Term Hospitals (NALTH) network facilities located in the United States.
Methods:
REDCap survey distributed by email to 56 facilities in the NALTH network exploring knowledge and perceptions related to
C. auris
screening methods, prevention practices, barriers to prevention, and tools needed to improve containment.
Results:
Among 33 responses from 56 LTACHs, 23 (70%) had ever identified at least one case of
C. auris
infection or colonization. Eighteen (54%) reported identifying cases of
C. auris
within the past three months and nine (27%) had experienced suspected within-facility transmission. All facilities employed multimodal approaches for
C. auris
infection prevention. The most frequently reported barriers to effective
C. auris
prevention included lack of communication between healthcare facilities, inadequate training and education for frontline staff, and lack of compliance with personal protective equipment. The most impactful interventions anticipated to support future
C. auris
containment included improved communication between facilities at the time of patient transfer and standardized protocols for
C. auris
decolonization and surveillance.
Conclusions:
Most LTACHs within the NALTH network reported firsthand experience with
C. auris
. Universally, facilities employed multimodal evidence-based infection prevention and control strategies targeted against
C. auris
. Future strategies anticipated to improve containment included improving interfacility communication of
C. auris
colonization status, development of effective decolonization protocols, and standardization of surveillance practices.