Featured Columns

To celebrate and thank the infection prevention community, Infection Control Today® introduces The Merry Microbe, a festive holiday games booklet filled with quizzes, puzzles, and crosswords designed to educate, engage, and bring a little joy to the vital work of keeping health care environments safe.

When infection control slips, the consequences can be serious: patient harm, staff illness, fines from OSHA/local inspectors, and damage to your reputation. That’s why training isn’t optional; it’s essential.

Infection preventionists face a daily battle against unseen threats, yet the hardest struggle is often the fear of speaking up. When you spot a dangerous gap in practice, do you act or stay silent to avoid conflict. Real safety begins when IPs are empowered to stop the line without fear or hesitation.

HSPA President Arlene Bush believes the sterile processing profession is stronger—and more essential—than ever. From expanding public awareness to evolving standards and global reach, Bush says the field is driven by dedicated professionals who “do amazing things, 365 days a year,” and deserve recognition for their expertise, resilience, and impact on patient safety.

As financial pressures mount across U.S. health care, infection preventionists are increasingly caught in the crossfire of hiring freezes and sudden layoffs. The profession’s resilience is being tested, and for Saba Shaikh, MPH, an unexpected dismissal became both a stark wake-up call and the start of a healthier, more empowering new chapter.

With hospitals across the country accelerating investments in automation, why does human competence remain vital?

The November/December 2025 issue of Infection Control Today® dives into overlooked risks, breakthrough technologies, and the people driving innovation across IPC, EVS, and sterile processing. From bacteriophage therapy to burnout prevention, automation to UV regulation—it’s a powerful close to the year. Read the issue now: https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/journals/infection-control-today #InfectionPrevention #Healthcare #InfectionControl #EVS #IPC #PatientSafety #ICT

Sherrie is back! In this The Clean Bite, she discusses single-use vs Resusable Dental Supplies. Ultrasonic scaler tips, burs, and endodontic files are often reused despite being marketed as single-use. How many patients are at risk from shortcuts in reprocessing?

International Infection Prevention Week is coming up from October 19 to 25. Read on to learn how to celebrate in your own facility!

The Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens that are clinically important in today's health care facilities.

The Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens that are clinically important in today's health care facilities. Check out the author reading the article and identify which bug is speaking in this installment.

This 6-part series will chronicle the journey of 2 infection prevention and control (IPC) leaders, Brenna Doran, PhD, MA; and Jessica Swain, MBA, MLT, as they partnered to research and shed light on the critical issue of IP staffing in the current health care landscape. From the initial spark of an idea to the publication of an impactful article, a research manuscript, and a podcast, this series will offer an insider's view of their collaborative process and the profound implications of their findings.

Experts say AI tools can forecast outbreaks and guide staffing, but limitations remain; technology cannot capture unpredictable tasks or reduce the heavy baseline workload of infection preventionists.

Want dental assistants who don’t just know infection control, but live it from day one? Tune in to The Clean Bite and learn how powerhouse instructor Samantha Mangioni is shaping the next generation to protect every patient, every time.

The Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens that are clinically important in today's health care facilities.

As climate change accelerates, health care’s environmental impact faces increased scrutiny, with sterile processing departments (SPDs) emerging as key change agents. Often behind the scenes, SPD professionals can lead sustainability by turning routine practices into ecofriendly protocols that protect both patient and planetary health.

Patients rarely question sterilization protocols at the dentist, yet it is essential for safety. The Clean Bite explores why asking matters, what to look for, and how to start the conversation confidently.

Dental infection control expert Sherrie Busby tackles PPE missteps, from chin-bra masks to cropped lab coats, reminding dental teams that proper protection is crucial, not optional.

The Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens that are clinically important in today's health care facilities.

New HSPA President Arlene Bush, CRCST, CER, CIS, SME, DSMD, CRMST, shares insights from the 2025 conference, including groundbreaking innovations, member engagement, and her goals for advancing the sterile processing field.

This issue covers COVID-19, measles, H5N1, screwworms, bedbugs, AI, and more.

It’s a familiar request at the dentist—“close your lips around the suction.” But that small act could expose you to backflow contamination from previous patients. This first article in a brand new column by Sherrie Busby, EDDA, CDSO, CDIPC, explores the unseen risks of dental suction devices—and why patients should pause before obeying.

A string of infections following routine knee surgeries in Tennessee has escalated into litigation, raising questions about how—and when—health care facilities should detect outbreaks. As genomic surveillance gains traction in infection prevention, some fear it could increase legal risk. In reality, it may offer hospitals their strongest legal defense.

This week’s Infection Control Today’s Hot Topics in IPC discusses the latest in the measles outbreak, H5N1 in cattle herds, HICPAC, and more.

This week’s Infection Control Today’s Hot Topics in IPC discusses the latest in the measles outbreak, H5N1 in cattle herds, and more.

Infection prevention demands strength—but when vulnerability is praised in men and penalized in women, leadership becomes performance, not authenticity. It’s time to challenge that imbalance.

This week’s Infection Control Today’s Hot Topics in IPC discusses the latest in the measles outbreak, biocontainment, Group A Strep, and more.