ICT Blog

Kelly M. Pyrek has served as editor in chief of Infection Control Today magazine for the past seven years, and manages a number of ICT-affiliated print and online offerings, including the Infection Control Education Institute, the ICT Conference on Professional Development, the ICT Series of Webinars, and GermStop. Recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists as an award-winning practitioner, she has served as an editorial manager, editor, and writer for newspapers, magazines, wire services, and public information bureaus for 25 years. She is a graduate of the Universityof Southern California.

Healthcare Laundry: What It Means to Be 'Hygienically Clean'

March 8, 2011 Comments

Posted in Blog, Laundry, PPE & Standard Precautions, Home-Laundered Scrubs

As spring draws ever near, thoughts turn to cleanliness, and I’d like to take a moment to invite you to download a new and exclusive report exploring the connection between healthcare textiles and infection transmission. Not only does it review the laundering process and the need to eliminate potential for cross-contamination, but I think it might cause you to reconsider what you think you know about pathogen persistence and transmission, as well as home-laundering of scrubs and other pertinent points.

I had some preconceived notions myself before writing this report, and after speaking to experts such as Lynne Sehulster at the CDC and Andy Streifel at the University of Minnesota, I came away with a new understanding and better appreciation for the science of laundry and the fact that the field is still very much evolving. As Sehulster and Streifel acknowledge, there are more studies to be conducted and more to learn about the nature of what it means to be "hygienically clean," the end game for all healthcare laundry.

To access the document, "Healthcare Textiles: Laundry Science and Infection Prevention," visit http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/reports/2011/03/healthcare-textiles-laundry-science-and-infection-prevention.aspx?cmpid=ARAMEBL