DICON provides sophisticated data analysis and metrics, access to experts in infection control, opportunities to share successful programs, and extensive educational initiatives related to infection prevention.
Dr. Jessie Seidelman lead the DICON physician team to show that universal masking is an effective strategy to flatten the SARS-CoV-2 healthcare worker epidemiologic curve in an arctile published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
DICON and Duke University Hospital physician Dr. Becky Smith has been working with other Duke Infectious Diseases Division faculty and Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery faculty on a case of an invasive Curvularia infection in a patient who developed following bilateral orthotopic lung transplantation despite receiving post-transplant antifungal prophylaxis. This infection presented as mold colonies studding the interior surface of his chest tubes. Despite surgical washout of his bilateral pleural cavities and antifungal treatment with liposomal amphotericin B, micafungin, and isavuconazonium sulfate, the patient died.
DICON faculty Drs. Sonali Advani, Becky Smith, Sarah Lewis, Dev Anderson, and Dan Sexton worked together on an open access commentary for Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology regarding universal masking during COVID-19.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings for 2020, giving 407 hospitals a 5-star rating. Four hospitals in the DICON network were awarded the 5-star rating.
During the past 18 years DICON has provided epidemiological data and support to more than 40 hospitals in 6 states while simultaneously learning a great deal about the challenges and opportunities for infection prevention in community hospitals.
DICON has been a long-term and valuable partner with my hospitals and me in our joint efforts to prevent hospital-acquired infections and improve patient safety.
