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...
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) hosts the largest gathering of infection prevention professionals in the world. This conference hosts an impressive lineup of industry professionals and accredited experts in the field. With over 100 sessions delving into innovative solutions for...
The surgical attire guideline was extensively revised by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and has received much attention since publication in 2015. The most controversial point was the requirement to cover all hair on the head and ears, which was based on a...
Certification – is the Consultant certified in Infection Control? The Certification Board of Infection Control offers the only credential for Infection Preventionists, which is CIC. The Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention is working on creating a credential for dental infection control, although there doesn’t...
Many pre-filled plastic syringes are intended for use on more than one patient and contain a variety of dental materials such as composite, etching kits, etc. Although the syringe is considered multi-patient use, the tips are disposable and are meant for use on one patient....
Dental Unit waterlines, which are narrow tubes that connect water to dental instruments (e.g. air/water syringe, dental handpiece, ultrasonic scaler), have long been a topic of discussion and concern. The formation of biofilm is not uncommon in dental unit waterlines due to the presence of...
Although the Association of periOperative Nurses (AORN) has published surgical attire guidelines for many years, questions remain about what constitutes appropriate surgical attire in various settings. The goal of the surgical attire guideline is to reduce microbial contamination throughout the continuum of care in the...
The first part of this series discussed general survey preparation and specific elements of the infection control program likely to be surveyed in Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) and hospitals. This post will examine what surveyors will most likely observe when looking at practice. Since surveyors...
Review your facility’s most recent CMS and accreditation surveys. CMS surveyors (typically your state health department) will gather information about your facility prior to their arrival, including prior surveys. The surveyors may opt to focus on problematic areas from the most recent CMS and/or accreditation...
Download our FREE infection prevention checklist today!