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Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending January 20, 2023.

Weekly Rounds: ESBL-Producers, Home Infusion Therapy, Lowering SSIs, and More

Tori Whitacre Martonicz is the editor of 

.  She has been a writer and editor for over 30 years, and she has an MA and BA in English Composition/Literature from the University of Akron in Akron, OH. She lives in Ohio with her husband; son; 2 tiny dogs, Selena Brigid Sophia and Doctor Danger Dog; and a big black cat, Freya. She loves reading, writing, gardening, and spending time with her loved ones.

A study clearly shows that surgical site infections (SSIs) can be reduced by changing surgical gloves and instruments before the closing abdominal wound closure.


Routine Change of Surgical Gloves/Instruments Significantly Lowers SSIs

Heather Saunders is an experienced and motivated registered nurse with a master’s degree in public health and a certification in infection control. Striving for excellence in the prevention and control of infectious disease, Heather believes in using innovative and strategic leadership methods to achieve program goals.

Heather first discovered her love for infection control (and chai tea) during a short-term assignment in Nairobi, Kenya, where she worked to improve maternal and child health through the prevention of infectious diseases. After spending the first 6 years of her nursing career in busy emergency departments, Heather transitioned away from the bedside to join the work at the Johns Hopkins Hospital as an infection control epidemiologist. Following the completion of her master's degree in public health, Heather became the infection prevention and control nurse consultant for the State of Maryland, assisting healthcare facilities in their response to healthcare-associated infections. Currently, Heather is employed with Johns Hopkins University Division of Infectious Diseases as a research nurse program manager, using her expertise to guide research in the prevention and control of infections in healthcare settings. Additionally, Heather is the owner of Broad Street Prevention, where she serves as an infection prevention consultant.

During her off hours, Heather enjoys writing, reading, hiking, and spending time with her friends and family. She is the proud author of the blog, All the Lessons We Learn, where she gives a lyrical accounting of all the beautiful, painful, and transcendent lessons that we learn on this journey we call life.

https://www.facebook.com/thelessonswelearn/

How should health care workers, especially infection preventionists, give constructive criticism in their positions? 

 The Infection Preventionist’s Formula for Providing Constructive Criticism

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending January 6, 2023.


Weekly Rounds: Sepsis Video Series, Candida Auris, and Eye Instrument Reprocessing

Videos

In this first installment of 3, Infection Control Today® presents a personal story of how sepsis can enter central lines, and how it affects the entire family. 

Sepsis: One Father's Story of Loneliness and Strength

Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC, is an infection preventionist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL.

The TAP Strategy developed by the CDC and SAIL from the US Department of Veterans Affairs prove to be key tools for setting health care-associated infection prevention goals on CLABSI and CAUTI.


TAP into CAUTI and CLABSI Prevention: A Quality Improvement Framework

Infection Control Today's® Product Locator is a monthly column highlighting some of the latest advanced technology in the infection prevention field.


ICT’s Product Locator: December 2022

The study's investigators noted that adequate hand hygiene in the OT by nonsterile health care workers and surgeons is vital to prevent post-operative wound infections. 

Hand Hygiene Adherence in the Operating Theater: Data From the Netherlands

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending November 25, 2022.


Weekly Rounds: Therapy Animal Infection Risks, Bug of the Month, and More 

Wildlife artist and author Nancy J. Bailey has written several books, primarily horse stories like, 

. A memoir co-authored with her sister Amanda Bailey, 

 won the 2015 Honorary Medallion from the Book Reader’s Appreciation Group. This makes Amanda one of few recognized authors with Down syndrome. 

An avid animal trainer, Nancy has 4 training books to her credit. She is active in community theatre and has garnered a CTAM award for one of her plays. Two of her plays have been produced by Michigan theatre groups. Nancy currently lives in Michigan with several dogs, cats, a geriatric dove, and two horses. Her horses, PepperJack and Clifford, Junior, travel to schools and libraries performing tricks and promoting literacy.



Artificial intelligence increases infection prevention and control measures in health care facilities and beyond. 

Artificial Intelligence Offers Advancements and Challenges in the IPC Sphere

 operating room page provides news articles and videos on the intersection between surgery and infection prevention. The operating room is a prime breeding ground for harmful pathogens to spread, resulting in surgical site infections. The role of the infection preventionist, together with the perioperative nursing staff, is to craft policies and processes to cut down on these infections and ensure patient safety during surgical procedures. 

Operating Room