Over 50% of top US hospitals lack sufficient infection control practices to fight coronavirus, ProPublica finds

More than half of 55 top-tier hospitals have been cited for infection control failures or other factors that could hinder effective responses to a COVID-19 outbreak, according to a ProPublica analysis.

ProPublica assessed five years of federal hospital inspection reports for 55 facilities that the CDC named as first-tier treatment centers to handle the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak. Over 100 total violations were found, and about 1 in 5 of the hospitals had four or more violations.

For example, MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., said it is ready to screen COVID-19 patients. However, the facility has been cited more than a dozen times since 2017. Violations include staff improperly wearing and disposing of masks, short staffing interrupting care, and sewage leaks in operating rooms, according to ProPublica.

In an email, a MedStar Washington spokesperson told ProPublica that the hospital has addressed the failures and maintains "a constant state of readiness for treating complex illnesses."

U.S. healthcare workers speaking under the condition of anonymity told ProPublica they are concerned about their safety and hospitals' lack of preparation, the news publication claims.

Washington state reported the first U.S. COVID-19 deaths this week, and a Seattle-area hospital is already "desperately trying to get more supplies," a nurse told ProPublica.

ProPublica noted that the U.S. is still more prepared than many other countries for an outbreak. Individual patient rooms are common, making it easier to isolate patients, according to Lance Peterson, MD, a clinical microbiology and infectious disease research specialist. The SARS and Ebola outbreaks prompted many hospitals to stock up on supplies, and The Joint Commission has been tracking preparation levels, Dr. Peterson said.

More articles on infection control:

Infectious disease specialists improve 5-year outcomes for staph patients

Repeated antibiotic use tied to higher hospitalization risk

How health systems can measure the effects of hospital-acquired infections and unactionable alarms

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