Decontamination begins in the OR. How you care for and clean instruments in the OR plays a big role in their safe and speedy return.

Infections on the decline, but risks persist. Q&A with Dale W. Bratzler, DO, MPH, a national healthcare quality leader and SSI prevention expert.

Inside the deadly duodenosocope outbreaks. Is enough being done to protect patients from dangerous infections?

Can you pass this surface disinfection quiz? Test your knowledge on the best way to keep your ORs clean and free from infection.

Do you wear your scrubs home? Cleaning surgical attire in your washing machine puts patients and family members at risk.

Can you spell SSI with IUSS? Yes, but only if you do it backwards. Here's how to get immediate-use steam sterilization right.

Get straight on skin prepping. Pre-op antisepsis is hardly complex, but questions remain.

The lowdown on low-temp sterilization. Take the time to ensure your delicate items are reprocessed correctly.

Duodenoscope cross-contamination is a common complication. Investigators' report faults scope's design, manufacturers' directions.

Olympus issues new duodenoscope reprocessing instructions. New guidelines focus on problematic elevator channel.

Let UV light shine. Small but mighty superbug-zapping robots that decontaminate the surfaces you missed are the newest craze in infection prevention.

Deadly duodenoscopes? Is a long-overlooked cross-contamination risk endangering your patients?

Infection Prevention: How we set up our SSI surveillance program. Tracking infections gives you the upper hand in the fight against them.

CRE superbug sickens 7, Kills 2 in Los Angeles Hospital. Another 179 patients who underwent routine endoscopies may have been exposed.

Does endoscope reprocessing keep you up at night? Following these 7 steps will ensure patient safety and extend the life of the delicate instruments.

What's the standard for pre-op showers? An infection prevention researcher responds to updated skin prepping guidelines.

8 common misconceptions about instrument decontamination. The right way to get items ready for sterilization.

Twenty percent of surgeons didn't wash their hands in bathroom. Danish study observed hand hygiene gap -- at American College of Surgeons' conference.

The hard costs of SSIs. Preventing post-op infections is more cost-effective than treating them.

Infection Prevention: To prevent infection, first assess the risk. To prevail, you need to know your enemies and know yourself.