2004 Meeting Highlights

 

 

Saturday, April 17, 2004

Five premeeting workshops were offered to conference participants, including: Healthcare preparedness: SARS as an example, Healthcare preparedness: Bringing the tabletop to the hospital, Evidence-based infection control, Advanced epidemiological methods, and Implementing interventions across the continuum of care.

SHEA president Edward Wong, MD welcomed members to the meeting in the Opening Plenary Session and highlighted goals/challenges for the society, including opening up the membership opportunities to expanded groups and addressing emerging healthcare issues, such as mandatory reporting of nosocomial infection rates, SARS and Avium Influenza. Trish Perl, MD, MSc, Chair Annual Meeting Planning Committee and Louise Dembry, MD, MS, Annual Meeting Scientific Chair welcomed participants and described that over 870 participants were preregistered for the conference and that with on-site registration this will likely be our best attended conference to date. The conference also represents new and continued collaboration with several national and international infectious diseases, infection control and epidemiology organizations.

The Opening Plenary Session entitled SARS: Lessons learned (one Year Later) was co-moderated by APIC president Jeanne Pfeiffer, RN, MPH, CIC and Paul Tambyah, MBBS, National University Hospital Singapore. Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS began the session with his talk SARS: Paradigm for an Emerging Pathogen in a Global Community. Dr. Sommers compared the recent SARS situation with Smallpox and suggested that situations like SARS serve as "scares" that we should expect and use to help us prepared for future challenges. James Wilson, MD, PhD in his talk SARS Coronovirus (SARS-CoV): A New Pathogen reviewed the status of a vaccine for SARS, including potential animal models. Susan Richardson, MD in her talk Diagnostic Testing for SARS-CoV: An Update reviewed the development process, status, and use of diagnostic testing for SARS including PCR methods, serologies and cultures (to confirm clinical diagnosis). Allison McGeer, MD presented data regarding SARS-CoV Transmission in the Healthcare Setting. Her talk reviewed literature and experience suggesting that transmission maybe more of an "extended droplet" situation, but that it is still an unresolved issue whether there maybe potential for airborne transmission. The session closed with presentation of SHEA Awards and an Opening Reception in the Exhibit Hall.

SHEA Awards

• SHEA Lectureship
  Lindsay Nicolle, MD, FRCP
  University of Manitoba
  
• SHEA Investigator Award
  Mark Loeb, MD
  McMaster University
  
• SHEA Trainee Award
  Lisa Maragakis, MD
  Johns Hopkins University
  
• SHEA Mentor Scholar Award
  Megan Clancy, MD
  Denver Health
  
• SHEA Advanced Practice ICP Award
  Carol O'Boyle, PhD, RN
  University of Minnesota
  

Sunday, April 18

Early risers got to participate in a number of "Meet the Professor" sessions. The morning plenary session (II) focused on MRSA. Bary Kreisworth, PhD discussed the epidemiology of community-acquired MRSA. Sheldon Stone, BSc, MD, FRCP then discussed the evidence behind interventions for MRSA. The session concluded with a review by Sara Cosgrove, MD, MS on the cost-benefit proposition for MRSA control. Late morning and early afternoon was reserved for submitted scientific papers, and a specific time was set aside for poster viewing. The afternoon plenary session (III) focused on patient safety. David Henderson, MD provided an overview of the patient safety movement in the US. John Gosbee, MD then provided a summary of the patient safety initiatives by the VA system. Finally PJ Brennan, MD gave attendees a detailed look at how the Penn system had implemented their patient safety program. The annual SHEA Lecture was delivered by Lindsay Nicolle, MD, FRCP. Her talk, A Distant Shore, Rational Antibiotic Use in Long-Term Care Facilities, provided a thought provoking look at the challenges faced by physicians and healthcare epidemiologists in determining what antibiotic usage in long-term care facilities is or is not appropriate. The day ended officially with the SHEA business meeting, but many members had additional meetings or receptions to attend into the night.

Monday, April 19

As on Sunday, the day began with early "Meet the Professor" sessions, and included time for submitted scientific papers and poster viewing.

Plenary Session IV It's Not Just Kids Stuff: Lessons Learned from Each Other Cosponsored by the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society included three excellent presentation. Cyndy Whitney MD, presented Conjugated Pneumococcal Vaccine and Resistance, Robert Daum, MD discussed Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Lisa Saiman MD, MPH presented Quinolones: Lessons You Should Have Learned- You are Never Too Young.

Morning Symposium- Around the World in 90 Minutes with Antimicrobial Resistance Co-sponsored by the European Society of Clinicial Microbiology and the Infectious Diseases and the Arab Society of Chemotherapy, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, included presentations that reviewed antimicrobial resistance in Europe (Ian Gould, MD), the Middle East (Atel Shibl) and South America (Anna Levin, MD, PhD) and a review from a world perspective by William Jarvis, MD. Dr. Jarvis reviewed the case MRSA as a common problem throughout the world and for implementation of aggressive measure for MRSA control.

Morning Symposium- Model Magic: the Role of Mathematical Modeling in Infection Prevention started with a presention by Theodore Cohen, MD on modeling MDR TB. Marc Bonten, MD, PhD then discussed From Computer to Bedside: Practical Applications of Mathematical Modeling. The session concluded with Marc Lipsitch, DPhil describing how modeling can be used not in isolation, but to help design better intervention studies.

Afternoon Symposium-Working in Healthcare: A Risky Business- moderated by Steven Gordon, MD and Sharon Brody Wright included Sniff the Rose, Not the plate: Hidden Hazards in the Lab by Ziad Memish, MD, FRCPC, FACP, FIDSA regarding risks to infectious laboratory workers and suggested protective practices. The second presentation, Montague and Capulet: Reconciling Droplet, Airborne Transmission, and Respiratory Protection by Scott Deitchman, MD, MPH reviewed the controversies on the transmission of infectious agents, including smallpox and plague. In the last talk of the session Emerging Pathogens and Mental Health of Healthcare Workers, Rima Styra, MD, FRCP reviewed the Toronto's experience regarding SARS and mental health in healthcare workers.

Afternoon Symposium- Improving Compliance in Infection Control: the Holy Grail, co-sponsored by the Hospital Infection Society, began with J. Bryan Sexton, PhD, MA, who's talk Effecting Change: From Attitudes to Behaviours to Outcomes described how to go about making changes in the culture of an institution. Rober C. Spencer, MB, BS, MSc spoke on Implementing Change and Improving Compliance: Barriers to Evidence Based Recommendation. Robert Masterton, AMM then reviewed Administrating Change - Lessons Learned from Isolation Practices

Tuesday, April 20

The Late Breaker Session focused primarily on influenza. There were presentations by Gillermo Herrera MD on the effectiveness of the 2003 vaccine in healthcare workers, and by Laura Podewils MS, PhD on a survey regarding influenza complications among children in 2003-2004. Philip Polgreen, MD described a prediction market to forecast influenza activity, while William Scheckler, MD reviewed the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia among healthcare workers. Lawrence McDonald, MD reviewed the CDC's efforts to respond to the 2004 avian influenza epizootic. The session ended with very late-breaking news, the announcement that a third case of VRSA had been found, this time in long-term care facility in New York.

The Closing Plenary Session was entitled Emerging Pathogens and Hospital Preparedness: Poxes and Pets, Populations and Paparazzi. Duane Gruber, ScD informed the attendees on Bugs from Critters. Brian Strom, MD, MPH provided an update on What Happened to the Smallpox Vaccination Program. Julie Gerberding, MD, MPH, Director of the CDC, gave the closing keynote address, Risk Communication and Dealing with the Media/Community