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Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) continue to negatively impact the worlds healthcare systems. With continued threats of pandemics, bioterrorism, and evolving multi-drug resistant microorganisms, Infection preventionists face conflicting priorities and must prioritize and streamline processes. In the United States, sadly 1 in 20 patients receiving care in hospitals will contract an HAI. Most HAIs originate from one of three common sources: contaminated hands of the healthcare provider and/or patient, contaminated environmental surfaces, or the contaminated skin of the patient.

The World Health Organization (WHO) taught the global healthcare community that there are five critical moments in hand hygiene that can make or break infection prevention efforts. Now, using a framework provided by the WHO, hospitals around the world can conduct assessments of their hand hygiene compliance efforts within the context of the larger issues of institutional cultures of safety and other key measures impacting patient outcomes. A recent survey of U.S. healthcare facilities reveals that while great strides are being made, there is much more work to be done to boost hand hygiene monitoring and self-assessment.

Technology developed by scientists at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute could halve the time it takes to diagnose tuberculosis infection, and also tell doctors in a day or two whether the bacteria are drug resistant -- a process that currently takes weeks. Initial tests of the device were recently described in Scientific Reports, a Nature online journal.

Nearly 11 years have passed since the 2001 bioterrorism-related anthrax attacks that shook the nation, killing five people and injuring 17, but according to Alan Zelicoff, MD, director of The Institute for Biosecurity at Saint Louis University, the country has still not learned its lesson.