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: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are endemic in the Chicago region. We assessed the regional impact of a CRE control intervention targeting high-prevalence facilities; that is, long-term acute-care hospitals (LTACHs) and ventilator-capable skilled nursing facilities (vSNFs). Methods: In July 2017, an academic–public health partnership launched a regional CRE prevention bundle: (1) identifying patient CRE status by querying Illinois’ XDRO registry and periodic point-prevalence surveys reported to public health, (2) cohorting or private rooms with contact precautions for CRE patients, (3) combining hand hygiene adherence, monitoring with general infection control education, and guidance by project coordinators and public health, and (4) daily chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing. Informed by epidemiology and modeling, we targeted LTACHs and vSNFs in a 13-mile radius from the coordinating center. Illinois mandates CRE reporting to the XDRO registry, which can also be manually queried or generate automated alerts to facilitate interfacility communication. The regional intervention promoted increased automation of alerts to hospitals. The prespecified primary outcome was incident clinical CRE culture reported to the XDRO registry in Cook County by month, analyzed by segmented regression modeling. A secondary outcome was colonization prevalence measured by serial point-prevalence surveys for carbapenemase-producing organism colonization in LTACHs and vSNFs. Results: All eligible LTACHs (n = 6) and vSNFs (n = 9) participated in the intervention. One vSNF declined CHG bathing. vSNFs that implemented CHG bathing typically bathed residents 2–3 times per week instead of daily. Overall, there were significant gaps in infection control practices, especially in vSNFs. Also, 75 Illinois hospitals adopted automated alerts (56 during the intervention period). Mean CRE incidence in Cook County decreased from 59.0 cases per month during baseline to 40.6 cases per month during intervention (P < .001). In a segmented regression model, there was an average reduction of 10.56 cases per month during the 24-month intervention period (P = .02) (Fig. 1), and an estimated 253 incident CRE cases were averted. Mean CRE incidence also decreased among the stratum of vSNF/LTACH intervention facilities (P = .03). However, evidence of ongoing CRE transmission, particularly in vSNFs, persisted, and CRE colonization prevalence remained high at intervention facilities (Table 1). Conclusions: A resource-intensive public health regional CRE intervention was implemented that included enhanced interfacility communication and targeted infection prevention. There was a significant decline in incident CRE clinical cases in Cook County, despite high persistent CRE colonization prevalence in intervention facilities. vSNFs, where understaffing or underresourcing were common and lengths of stay range from months to years, had a major prevalence challenge, underscoring the need for aggressive infection control improvements in these facilities.

Funding: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (SHEPheRD Contract No. 200-2011-42037)

Disclosures: M.Y.L. has received research support in the form of contributed product from OpGen and Sage Products (now part of Stryker Corporation), and has received an investigator-initiated grant from CareFusion Foundation (now part of BD).

Background: Previous work suggests an intermingling of community and hospital transmission networks driving the MRSA epidemic, but how those with CO-HA infections fit into the network remains unclear. We integrated epidemiologic data and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) from existing MRSA clinical isolates to determine whether there were distinguishable features of CO-HA MRSA infections that could guide interventions. Methods: We examined 955 existing clinical MRSA isolates from 2011 to 2013 from patients at Cook County Health, the major public healthcare network in Chicago, Illinois. We performed electronic and manual chart review to ascertain community (eg, illicit drug use, incarceration history) and healthcare exposures and comorbidities. WGS was performed on all sequences, and sequences were typed with multilocus sequence typing (MLST). We assessed the distribution of epidemiological factors and sequence type (ST) across onset type. Results: Infections were more frequent in males (70%); 61% of individuals with infection were African American and 21% were Hispanic. Overall, wound infections were the most common (81%) followed by blood (7%) and respiratory (6%). 82% of infections were ST8 (most USA300), 8% were ST5 (USA100) and 10% were other STs (Fig. 1a). Using standard epidemiologic definitions, we identified 523 CO, 295 CO-HA, and 137 HO infections. USA300 infections were common across CO, CO-HA, and HO categories, whereas USA100 was more frequently observed among CO-HA and HO. Current illicit drug use and history of incarceration—factors typically associated with CO-MRSA—were observed among both CO-HA and HO infections. 38% of CO-HA and 36% of HO had a history of MRSA infection or nasal colonization in the prior 6 months. As expected, 73% of CO-HA had a history of recent hospitalization, but this was also true for 44% of HO cases; points for intervention for both groups, especially CO-HA patients, include outpatient, inpatient, and ER care. Diabetes was common across categories, and HIV was more commonly observed among CO-HA cases (Fig. 1b). Conclusions: We characterized the genomic and epidemiologic features of CO-HA MRSA infections relative to CO and HO. By MLST and epidemiological analysis, CO-HA infections share similarities to both CO and HO. Although USA300 infections were the most common strain type, our findings highlight the need for WGS to discern relationships between individuals to understand the intermixing of healthcare and community networks for CO-HA infections. Higher resolution genomic analysis may help guide whether interventions need to be at hospital discharge or in the community to have the most impact on decreasing CO-HA MRSA infections.

Funding: Funding: from CDC Broad Agency Announcement: Genomic Epidemiology of Community-Onset Invasive USA300 MRSA Infections; Contract ID: 75D30118C02923

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

Distinguished Oral

Background: Shared Healthcare Intervention to Eliminate Life-threatening Dissemination of MDROs in Orange County, California (SHIELD OC) was a CDC-funded regional decolonization intervention from April 2017 through July 2019 involving 38 hospitals, nursing homes (NHs), and long-term acute-care hospitals (LTACHs) to reduce MDROs. Decolonization in NH and LTACHs consisted of universal antiseptic bathing with chlorhexidine (CHG) for routine bathing and showering plus nasal iodophor decolonization (Monday through Friday, twice daily every other week). Hospitals used universal CHG in ICUs and provided daily CHG and nasal iodophor to patients in contact precautions. We sought to evaluate whether decolonization reduced hospitalization and associated healthcare costs due to infections among residents of NHs participating in SHIELD compared to nonparticipating NHs. Methods: Medicaid insurer data covering NH residents in Orange County were used to calculate hospitalization rates due to a primary diagnosis of infection (counts per member quarter), hospital bed days/member-quarter, and expenditures/member quarter from the fourth quarter of 2015 to the second quarter of 2019. We used a time-series design and a segmented regression analysis to evaluate changes attributable to the SHIELD OC intervention among participating and nonparticipating NHs. Results: Across the SHIELD OC intervention period, intervention NHs experienced a 44% decrease in hospitalization rates, a 43% decrease in hospital bed days, and a 53% decrease in Medicaid expenditures when comparing the last quarter of the intervention to the baseline period (Fig. 1). These data translated to a significant downward slope, with a reduction of 4% per quarter in hospital admissions due to infection (P < .001), a reduction of 7% per quarter in hospitalization days due to infection (P < .001), and a reduction of 9% per quarter in Medicaid expenditures (P = .019) per NH resident. Conclusions: The universal CHG bathing and nasal decolonization intervention adopted by NHs in the SHIELD OC collaborative resulted in large, meaningful reductions in hospitalization events, hospitalization days, and healthcare expenditures among Medicaid-insured NH residents. The findings led CalOptima, the Medicaid provider in Orange County, California, to launch an NH incentive program that provides dedicated training and covers the cost of CHG and nasal iodophor for OC NHs that enroll.

Funding: None

Disclosures: Gabrielle M. Gussin, University of California, Irvine, Stryker (Sage Products): Conducting studies in which contributed antiseptic product is provided to participating hospitals and nursing homes. Clorox: Conducting studies in which contributed antiseptic product is provided to participating hospitals and nursing homes. Medline: Conducting studies in which contributed antiseptic product is provided to participating hospitals and nursing homes. Xttrium: Conducting studies in which contributed antiseptic product is provided to participating hospitals and nursing homes.

Background: Long-term acute-care hospitals (LTACHs) are disproportionately burdened by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) like KPC-Kp. Although cohorting KPC-Kp+ patients into rooms with other carriers can be an outbreak-control strategy and may protect negative patients from colonization, it is unclear whether cohorted patients are at unintended increased risk of cross colonization with additional KPC-Kp strains. Methods: Cohorting KPC-Kp+ patients at admission into rooms with other positive patients was part of a bundled intervention that reduced transmission in a high-prevalence LTACH. Rectal surveillance culturing for KPC-Kp was performed at the start of the study, upon admission, and biweekly thereafter, capturing 94% of patients. We evaluated whole-genome sequencing (WGS) evidence of acquisition of distinct KPC-Kp strains in a convenience sample of patients positive for KPC-Kp at study start or admission to identify plausible secondary KPC-Kp acquisitions. Results: WGS multilocus sequence type (MLST) strain variability was observed among the 452 isolates from the 254 patients colonized by KPC-Kp (Fig. 1). Among the 32 patients who were positive at the beginning of the study or admission and had a secondary isolate collected at a later date (median, 89 days apart, range, 2–310 days), 17 (53%) had secondary isolates differing by MLST from their admission isolate. Although 60% of the KPC-Kp in the study was ST258, there was substantial genomic variation within ST258 isolates from the same patient (range, 0–102 genetic variants), suggesting multiple acquisitions of distinct ST258 isolates. Among the 17 patients who imported ST258 and had ST258 isolated again later, 11 (65%) carried secondary isolates genetically closer to isolates from other importing patients than to their own ST258 (Fig. 2). Examination of spatiotemporal exposures among patients with evidence of multiple acquisitions revealed that 11 (65%) patients with multiple MLSTs shared a room with a patient who was colonized with an isolate matching the secondary MLST, and 6 (35%) patients who carried multiple distinct ST258 isolates shared a room with a patient who imported these closely related isolates prior to secondary acquisition. Conclusions: Half of patients who imported KPC-Kp and had multiple isolates available had genomically supported secondary acquisitions linked to roommates who carried the acquired strains. Although cohorting is intended to protect negative patients from acquiring MDROs, this practice may promote multiple strain acquisitions by colonized patients in the cohort, potentially prolonging the period of MDRO carriage and increasing time at risk of infection. Our findings add to the debate about single-patient rooms, which may be preferred to cohorts to minimize potential harms by reducing MDRO transmission.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None

Clinician education and prospective audit and feedback interventions, deployed separately and concurrently, did not reduce antimicrobial use errors or rates compared to a control group of general medicine inpatients at our public hospital. Additional research is needed to define the optimal scope and intensity of hospital antimicrobial stewardship interventions.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:857–859