Infection Control Today Magazine - healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), hospital infections, infection prevention and control, healthcare epidemiology, aseptic technique, environmental hygiene, hand hygiene, disinfection and sterilization, outbreak investigation, surveillance

FEATURES

SSIs in Ambulatory Surgery

In an analysis that included nearly 300,000 patients from eight states who underwent ambulatory surgery, researchers found that the rates of surgical ...read more

Hand Sanitizer Missing in Some Hospitals

Approximately 1 in 5 U.S. healthcare facilities don't make alcohol-based hand sanitizer available at every point of care, missing a critical ...read more

Antibiotic Prescribing Practices

A new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that clinicians in some hospitals prescribe three times as ...read more

PPE Utilization in a Pandemic

This report explores the utilization of personal protective equipment and respiratory protection within a pandemic scenario and addresses key issues ...read more

Biocides and Sporicidal Disinfectants

This Pulse provides a quick summary of some of the ideas and perspectives coming out of the 2013 Spring Conference of the Society of Healthcare ...read more

Latest Headlines

Infection Control Today - 03/2004: Fostering Communication

Fostering Communication Between the Guardians of the Hospital Environment By Weston Thiss, CHESP, and Carolyn Bratcher, RN I’m the director of environmental services (ES), and I want to talk about “her.” You know the one ... she quotes JCAHO standards and CDC guidelines, ...More
March 1, 2004 Posted in Articles
Infection Control Today - 03/2004: Perspectives

AORN Congress Offers Something for Everyone By Betty J. Shultz, RN, CNOR The upcoming Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Congress, March 21-25, 2004 in San Diego, reflects a wide range of issues and topics of interest to perioperative registered nurses, ...More
March 1, 2004 Posted in Articles
Infection Control Today - 03/2004: Handwashing and Cross Contamination

Handwashing and Cross Contamination: Old Issue, New Approaches By Kelly M. Pyrek With numerous hand-hygiene studies in the literature, there’s plenty of data confirming what we already know – actual handwashing compliance (and not just self-reported incidences) is 30 to 50 ...More
March 1, 2004 Posted in Articles, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene, PPE & Standard Precautions
New Sinus and Allergy Guidelines Recommend Omnicef as First-Line Treatment Option for Acute Bacterial Sinusitis

ABBOTT PARK, Ill. -- New treatment guidelines published last week by the Sinus and Allergy Health Partnership have identified Abbott Laboratories' Omnicef (cefdinir) as one of the primary treatment options for acute bacterial sinusitis. Omnicef is the only extended-spectrum ...More
February 27, 2004 Posted in News
Lower Social Class Linked to Increased Risk of Postoperative MRSA Infection

Newswise -- Results of a UK study in this week's issue of The Lancet suggest that people from the poorest socioeconomic backgrounds could be up to seven times more likely to get postoperative infection with meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) than people from ...More
February 26, 2004 Posted in News
Abbott Laboratories Supports FDA's Final Bar Code Rule

ABBOTT PARK, Ill. -- Abbott Laboratories has reaffirmed its support of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) final bar coding rule, which will require bar codes on most drugs and biological products for human use within two years after the rule's effective date. The ...More
February 26, 2004 Posted in News
Researchers Discover Drinking Extra Fluids During a Cold May Not Be Beneficial

Newswise -- Doctors should be cautious about advising patients with respiratory infections to drink plenty of fluids, warn researchers in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ). Their view is based on evidence that, during a respiratory infection such as a cold or ...More
February 26, 2004 Posted in News
APIC Disputes Newspaper Column's Suggestion that Handwashing in Public Restrooms is Unnecessary

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In response to a recent nationally syndicated newspaper column that questioned the need for men to wash their hands after using a public restroom, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) reiterated the importance of ...More
February 26, 2004 Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene
FDA Rule Requiring Bar Codes on Medications Should Go Farther, Pharmacists Say

Newswise -- The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) applauds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement of its final rule requiring bar codes on all medication packages, a mandate that is expected to significantly improve patient safety in the ...More
February 26, 2004 Posted in News
Beloit Memorial Hospital Reports 67 Percent Reduction in Medication Errors Using Care Fusion's Wireless Barcode Solution

MCLEAN, Va. -- Beloit Memorial Hospital, a 175-bed community hospital located in Beloit, Wisc., has reduced medication administration errors by 67 percent since implementing Care Fusion's wCareMed, a wireless mobile barcode medication administration solution. This dramatic ...More
February 26, 2004 Posted in News