How Should I Clean This? Take your pick of any type of patient care equipment in the inpatient or outpatient setting, and I have probably been asked about cleaning it. Let’s quickly review some basics. Always use an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered hospital grade disinfectant, which...
Cough etiquette was introduced as part of standard precautions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the 2007 Isolation guidelines. The 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, which resulted in the transmission of SARS to emergency department patients, visitors, and staff,...
Most of us in healthcare learned that "handwashing is the number one way to prevent the spread of infections." And yet, studies still show that hand hygiene is poor among healthcare workers. Some of the obstacles cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Although the facility infection preventionist may be thought of as the person who always points out what is wrong, Infection Control is a complex field that touches on every aspect of patient care. This blog will touch on some of the fundamental aspects of this...
Although the infection control department isn't directly responsible for environmental cleaning, it is definitely within the scope of responsibility of the infection control department. The literature has shown that hospital environmental surfaces are frequently contaminated with multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridioides difficile (C. diff). Hands of...
We are probably all too familiar with the alphabet soup that comprises multiple drug-resistant organisms (MDROs): carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE), extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and most recently Candida auris. While it is easy to think that Staph aureus is only...
Infection prevention and control was formerly known simply as 'infection control,' although the 'old' moniker seems to be sticking around. The name morphed to better establish the emphasis on prevention, which is the true work of this field. As we all know, it is much...
In a healthcare facility, infections can spread from almost anywhere. As incredible as that sounds, it is true. Take a look at a typical healthcare environment: there are many surfaces that multiple people – staff, patients, and visitors – all touch numerous times. Elevator buttons,...
Infectious diseases are those that are caused by microscopic organisms including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. The organisms enter the body, multiply and cause symptoms ranging from mild to severe, including death. The severity of the disease depends on the organism’s ability to overcome the...