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

Link Between Antibiotics and Biofilms

Researchers from USC and the Oak Crest Institute of Science have discovered the link between antibiotics and bacterial biofilm formation leading to ...read more

Anthrax Incident Points to Safety Issues

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report today that reviews the early June incident that involved the ...read more

Tetanus Infection

The CDC offers information on tetanus infection caused by Clostridium tetani. ...read more

Healthcare Reform

Infection prevention's role in quality improvement initiatives is becoming more of an imperative within the overall efforts by healthcare ...read more

Latest Headlines

FDA Issues Guidance on Hospital Bed Design to Reduce Patient Entrapment

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week published draft guidance for hospital bed manufacturers designed to reduce the occurrence of patient entrapment. Manufacturers may use this guidance to assess current hospital beds and assist in the design of new beds. The ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in News
Infection Control Today - 09/2004: Perspectives

The Best Kept Secret in the South By Becki Jenkins, CST, RCST, CRCST, FEL That is the credo of the North Mississippi Medical Center (NMMC) in Tupelo, Miss. Janet Tidwell, RN, MSN, CNOR, administrative director of surgical services, aims many accolades toward her colleagues. ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles
Infection Control Today - 09/2004: Clinical Update

Fomites: Small Risk or Real Threat? By John Roark A fomite is an inanimate object that serves to transmit an infectious agent from person to person. Any healthcare environment provides a wealth of potential surfaces, and the list has gone from the mundane — table- and ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles
Infection Control Today - 09/2004: inside central sterile

Considerations for Chemicals and Automated Reprocessors Used With Flexible Endoscopes By Lynne A. Thomas, BSN, RN, CGRN In making a selection of chemical products and automated endoscope reprocessors (AERs), a healthcare facility must consider safety for its patients, for ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles
Infection Control Today - 09/2004: References

REFERENCES “FOMITES: SMALL RISK OR REAL THREAT?” BY JOHN ROARK, PAGE 12 1. Nurkin S. Is the clinician’s necktie a potential fomites for hospital acquired infections? American Society For Microbiology. 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Guidelines for Infection ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles, Disinfection & Sterilization, Environmental Hygiene
Infection Control Today - 09/2004: Healthcare Workers

Healthcare Workers, EMTs Extend the Front Lines in the Battle Against Infection By Kris Ellis Emergency medicine personnel deal with a vast array of demanding and complex situations on a daily basis. In a day and age in which any number of infectious microorganisms and ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles, PPE & Standard Precautions
Infection Control Today - 09/2004: THE WALLS COME TUMBLING DOWN

THE WALLS COME TUMBLING DOWN Breaking Down Barriers to Healthcare Worker Immunization By Kathy Dix Getting immunized to prevent patients from exposure and to keep yourself well enough to treat them doesn’t seem like rocket science. But many infection control practitioners ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles, PPE & Standard Precautions
Infection Control Today - 09/2004: Pandemicals

Surveillance for the Tortured ICP By Roger Freeman, DDS 50,000 Co-workers Per Square Inch … So Much for Downsizing Dr. Charles Gerba is at it again. We gunnited our kitchen after Dr. Gerba’s not-too-bon-appetit study on the galley a few years ago. Now, the University of ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles
Infection Control Today - 09/2004: Product Locator

SDA Products, Inc. The Shower C.A.P.™ (Catheter Access Protector Dressing), available in adult and pediatric sizes, is specifically designed for dialysis, hematology-oncology, transplant and immunodeficiency virus patients living with indwelling devices such as catheters to ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles
National Initiative Strives to Reduce Surgical Site Infections

National Initiative Strives to Reduce Surgical Site Infections By Kelly M. Pyrek Perioperative infections complicate an estimated 2.6 percent of nearly 30 million operations annually, resulting in approximately 780,000 surgical site infections (SSIs). Tried-and-true methods ...More
September 1, 2004 Posted in Articles