There are between 75 and 100 intricate steps involved in the proper reprocessing of flexible endoscopes. That means there are countless opportunities for staff to miss critical steps...

Most surgical professionals are relatively knowledgeable about the best surface cleaning practices, and tried-and-true manual methods remain the best way to...

Studies have shown that up to 30% of the population may be colonized with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in their nares and up to 5% of U.S. hospitalized patients...

No matter how hard one tries, the skin simply cannot be made sterile. It can, however, be made surgically clean. Optimizing the skin’s cleanliness prior to surgery is the target that...

Zero is always the goal. Our surgery center works tirelessly on multiple fronts to ensure no patient walks away from an elective procedure with a surgical site infection (SSI). Of course, hitting that elusive benchmark is always...

For the past two-plus years, the world has constantly turned to infection preventionists and epidemiologists looking for answers on how to combat an insidious and...

You put a significant amount of time and energy into ensuring staff keep their hands clean. The same should hold true for your patients. It’s best to encourage or even require them to wash or degerm their hands...

A little recognition and positive reinforcement go a long way. At UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs, Colo., dedicated auditors reward staff who follow the facility’s hand hygiene protocols with a small bottle...

Total hip replacement is a life-changing operation. Patients who were once riddled with pain are able to move about freely and return to their routine activities. Efforts to ensure...

If you doubt the contention that it can take years — or even decades — for evidence to trickle into clinical practice, look no further than the lack of progress in implementing...

When post-op infections occur at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, a Strike Team assembles to drill down to their root causes and then takes immediate action...

During the peak waves of the pandemic, facilities turned to the high-tech power of whole room disinfection systems that employ powerful ultraviolet (UV) light or hydrogen peroxide mist to supplement the superior...

Two years ago last month, the coronavirus began to spread across the country. The virulent strain, which most of us had never heard of before it quickly became part of...

Few things are more devastating for patients than a pain-free, perfectly executed procedure that results in a completely preventable surgical site infection (SSI). In fact,...

Hopefully, there’s a robust hand hygiene culture among the staff at your facility. But what about your patients? They might not be as aware of the importance of keeping their hands clean during the course of their care. That’s why...

Last May, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) revised its guideline for patient skin antisepsis to provide evidence-based practices that reduce...

If you’re one of the many facilities leaders wrestling with trying to decide which patients should undergo nasal decolonization before their procedures, you might be asking...

Surface cleaning has been at the top of everyone’s mind for nearly two years during the pandemic. The truth is, this should always be the case, as ORs are high-risk areas...

Manual surface cleaning isn’t completely effective. Your staff can’t eliminate every pathogen, no matter how much elbow grease they apply and diligence they display....

Instrument cleaning and sterilization is a complicated process rife with potential oversights and failures, so how can you be completely certain your facility’s tools are...