{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T08:24:35Z","timestamp":1781598275601,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,5]],"date-time":"2022-04-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1649116800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/terms"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["cambridge.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,3]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec id=\"S0899823X22000939_as1\"><jats:title>Objective:<\/jats:title><jats:p>To assess the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) reported from 128 acute-care and 132 long-term care Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"S0899823X22000939_as2\"><jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title><jats:p>We compared central-line\u2013associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), ventilator-associated events (VAEs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), methicillin-resistant <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus<\/jats:italic> (MRSA), and <jats:italic>Clostridioides difficile<\/jats:italic> infections and rates reported from each facility monthly to a centralized database before the pandemic (February 2019 through January 2020) and during the pandemic (July 2020 through June 2021).<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"S0899823X22000939_as3\"><jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title><jats:p>Nationwide VA COVID-19 admissions peaked in January 2021. Significant increases in the rates of CLABSIs, VAEs, and MRSA all-site HAIs (but not MRSA CLABSIs) were observed during the pandemic in acute-care facilities. There was no significant change in CAUTI rates, and C. difficile rates significantly decreased. There were no significant increases in HAIs in long-term care facilities.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec id=\"S0899823X22000939_as4\"><jats:title>Conclusions:<\/jats:title><jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic had a differential impact on HAIs of various types in VA acute care, with many rates increasing. The decrease in CDI HAIs may be due, in part, to evolving diagnostic testing. The minimal impact of COVID-19 in VA long-term facilities may reflect differences in patient numbers and acuity and early recognition of the impact of the pandemic on nursing home residents leading to increased vigilance and optimization of infection prevention and control practices in that setting. These data support the need for building and sustaining conventional infection prevention and control strategies before and during a pandemic.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2022.93","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,5]],"date-time":"2022-04-05T07:51:02Z","timestamp":1649145062000},"page":"420-426","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/policypage","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["Healthcare-associated infections in Veterans Affairs acute-care and long-term healthcare facilities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"44","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6725-875X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Martin E.","family":"Evans","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Loretta A.","family":"Simbartl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stephen M.","family":"Kralovic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marla","family":"Clifton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kathleen","family":"DeRoos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3049-1301","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Brian P.","family":"McCauley","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Natalie","family":"Gauldin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Linda K.","family":"Flarida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7541-7976","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shantini D.","family":"Gamage","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Makoto M.","family":"Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0608-7672","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gary A.","family":"Roselle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajic.2018.04.221"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajic.2016.08.010"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2016.27"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajic.2012.06.006"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjqs.2010.048462"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jinf.2020.05.046"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2666-5247(21)00090-2"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref3","unstructured":"3. National Healthcare Safety Network. Ventilator-associated events. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nhsn\/pdfs\/pscmanual\/10-vae_final.pdf. Published 2021. Assessed November 30, 2021."},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2020.452"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref23","unstructured":"23. Veterans Health Administration Office of Emergency Management. COVID-19 response plan. Veterans Health Administration website. https:\/\/www.va.gov\/opa\/docs\/VHA_COVID_19_03232020_vF_1.pdf. Published March 23, 2020. Accessed March 4, 2022."},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofab201"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2021.362"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref9","unstructured":"9. National Surveillance Tool to assess readiness across the VA\u2019s health system\u2014VAntage Point. US Department of Veterans Affairs website. https:\/\/blogs.va.gov\/VAntage\/74896\/national-surveillance-tool-assesses-readiness-across-vas-health-system\/Published 2020. Accessed November 30, 2021."},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2020.454"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciw423"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref24","first-page":"1","article-title":"Candida auris outbreak in a COVID-19 specialty care unit\u2014Florida, July\u2013August 2020","volume":"70","author":"Prestel","year":"2021","journal-title":"Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref25","unstructured":"25. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) response report\u2014annex A, May 10, 2021. Veterans Health Administration website. https:\/\/www.va.gov\/health\/docs\/VHA-COVID-19-Response-2021.pdf. Published May 10, 2021. Accessed March 4, 2022."},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref12","first-page":"2459","article-title":"Bacterial and fungal coinfection in individuals with coronavirus: a rapid review to support COVID-19 antimicrobial prescribing","volume":"71","author":"Rawson","year":"2020","journal-title":"Clin Infect Dis"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2020.1223"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jgs.17180"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofab065"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref5","unstructured":"5. National Healthcare Safety Network. CDC\/NHSN surveillance definitions for specific types of infections. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nhsn\/pdfs\/pscmanual\/17pscnosinfdef_current.pdf. Published 2021. Assessed November 30, 20 21."},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(20)30251-8"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref26","unstructured":"26. Spotswood, S. VA touts lower CLC COVID-19 rates vs community nursing homes. US Medicine website. https:\/\/www.usmedicine.com\/late-breaking-news\/va-touts-lower-clc-covid-19-rates-vs-community-nursing-homes\/. Published 2020. Accessed November 30, 2021."},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/ice.2017.305"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1007474"},{"key":"S0899823X22000939_ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofab466.372"}],"container-title":["Infection Control &amp; Hospital Epidemiology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/services\/aop-cambridge-core\/content\/view\/S0899823X22000939","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,10]],"date-time":"2023-10-10T08:30:24Z","timestamp":1696926624000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/product\/identifier\/S0899823X22000939\/type\/journal_article"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,5]]},"references-count":27,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,3]]}},"alternative-id":["S0899823X22000939"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/ice.2022.93","relation":{},"ISSN":["0899-823X","1559-6834"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0899-823X","type":"print"},{"value":"1559-6834","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,5]]},"assertion":[{"value":"\u00a9 US Department of Veterans Affairs, 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America","name":"copyright","label":"Copyright","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This is a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States.","name":"license","label":"License","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}}]}}