Hand Hygiene

Year Zero: How COVID-19 Changed Everything

December 23, 2020

Though tough months lie ahead for infection preventionists and other healthcare professionals, hope remains that at some point in 2021 things will begin to settle down. In the end, it comes down to a simple formula: We win, COVID-19 loses.

Swiss Cheese Model—How Infection Prevention Really Works

December 15, 2020

In essence, infection prevention and control isn’t just one measure, like personal protective equipment (PPE), but all of these layers. Each layer is imperfect but plays a critical role in reducing risk.

Hospital Fights COVID, Superbug CRAB at Same Time

December 02, 2020

When an 850-bed urban hospital fought off COVID-19 in part by having to relax infection prevention protocols, the opportunistic and deadly carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) struck.

When Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Comes Calling

November 27, 2020

CRAB has chameleon-like tendencies that allow it to absorb material from other organisms, and that allows it to ward off most antibiotics. It’s a Superbug.

Study: Doctors’ Phones Too Often Contaminated by MRSA

November 18, 2020

Study: “These results strongly recommend routine daily cleaning of mobile phones for effective reduction of device contamination; moreover, medical staff should perform hand hygiene before and after using mobile phones.”

Study: Hand Hygiene Badge Boosts Compliance, Cuts C. Diff Rates

November 17, 2020

During the period that employees wore a monitoring badge, compliance with hand hygiene protocols increased significantly.

Study: Providers See the Light and Hand Hygiene Improves

November 12, 2020

Danish investigators wanted to see if a nudge provided by a green smiley face light on dispensers of alcohol-based disinfectant would improve hand hygiene compliance of nurses and doctors. It did. Greatly.

Checklists for Infection Preventionists Working in ORs

November 11, 2020

New infection preventionists can use this checklist to perform IP rounds in the surgical suite, decontamination areas, and sterile processing area.

COVID Unleashes the ‘Lurking Scourge’ Candida Auris

November 11, 2020

Candida auris is difficult to identify with standard laboratory methods. It can be misidentified in labs without specific technology, which can lead to mismanagement.

When Patients Become Hand Hygiene Police

November 03, 2020

The investigators say that their findings underscore the importance of encouraging and “empowering” patients to be a part of efforts to improve hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers.