Operating Room

At AORN 2026, Colleen Becker, PhD, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, highlights how nursing education must evolve with technology, generational learning styles, and workforce shortages to better prepare nurses for modern health care challenges.

At AORN 2026 in New Orleans, a colorectal SSI bundle shows how standardized intraoperative nursing practices, interdisciplinary collaboration, and data tracking can reduce infections and improve surgical outcomes.

At AORN26 in New Orleans, a poster highlights surgical smoke risks, urging nationwide evacuation policies to protect health care workers and patients and strengthen nurse-led advocacy for safer operating rooms.

AORN26 highlights a colorectal SSI prevention bundle using evidence-based isolation techniques, interdisciplinary collaboration, and audit tracking to improve compliance and reduce infection risk in perioperative practice.

AORN26 highlights a multidisciplinary, culture-driven approach that reduced colon surgical site infections by over 27%, demonstrating how standardized bundles, collaboration, and perioperative alignment can significantly improve patient outcomes.

AORN26 highlights how using the teach-back method during PACU discharge education improved patient understanding and reduced surgical site infections, demonstrating the critical role of communication in infection prevention beyond the OR.

AORN26 highlights how collaboration between the operating room and sterile processing department (SPD) reduced instrument contamination, minimized case delays, and improved patient safety, reinforcing the critical role of SPD partnerships in perioperative infection prevention.

AORN26 highlights a hands-on Scrub Bootcamp program that improves perioperative nurse readiness, confidence, and procedural skills, offering a scalable model to strengthen operating room training and patient safety.

This 6-part series chronicles the journey of 2 infection prevention leaders, Brenna Doran and Jessica Swain, who partnered to research and shed light on the critical issue of IP staffing in the current health care landscape. The fourth article in the series will focus on the impact of geographic variations and staffing models on the support for infection prevention programs.

A former infection prevention professional shares his battle with MRSA and sepsis, revealing the lasting impact of health care–associated infections and why vigilance, accountability, and patient advocacy matter more than ever.

Peptilogics' PLG0206 represents a breakthrough innovation in infectious disease. First drug designed specifically to penetrate and kill biofilm-protected bacteria. RETAIN Phase 2/3 trial now enrolling patients with prosthetic joint infection. The previous phase showed 93% infection-free rate. It could revolutionize the treatment of medical device-related infections.

A new human factors study reveals the hidden complexity behind sterile processing. Research from the Medical University of South Carolina shows how sterile processing, operating rooms, and courier networks function as one interconnected system. Understanding “work as done” rather than “work as imagined” may be key to improving surgical safety and supporting frontline staff.

Over 50% of surgeries experience delays that increase the risk of infection. Tampa General's ambient AI reduced OR turnover times by 12%, preventing dangerous complications and enabling more than 832 additional cases annually. Real-time data transforms surgical safety and efficiency.

When sterile instruments look perfect but hidden soil remains, patient safety is at risk. In this in-depth ICT article, Marjorie Wall, EDBA, CRCST, CIS, CHL, CSSBB, explains why ultrasonic cleaning is not just equipment, but a critical quality system, and how failures in cavitation, lumen flushing, or water quality can quietly undermine infection prevention in the operating room and sterile processing department.

From Joseph Lister to modern airflow engineering, operating room safety depends on more than sterile technique. This in-depth review explains why EVS, airflow control, objective cleaning verification, and SPD coordination are critical to reducing surgical site infections and building high-reliability perioperative environments.

Inclusive perioperative teams are safer teams. In this fourth installment of an interview with Infection Control Today, Colleen Becker, PhD, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, explains how teams that reflect the communities they serve improve communication, trust, and infection prevention across the perioperative continuum. When staff feel heard and valued, risks are identified earlier and patient safety is strengthened.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are increasing nationwide, with harder-to-treat NDM strains reshaping the resistance landscape. In this Q&A, Lucas Schulz, PharmD, explains why rapid diagnostics and stewardship are critical to protecting patients and preserving last-line antibiotics.

Creating a culture where nurses feel safe speaking up is essential to proactive infection prevention. In this installment of an interview with Infection Control Today, Colleen Becker, PhD, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, explains how consistent communication, shared data, and team-driven goals help reduce burnout, strengthen accountability, and ensure infection risks are addressed early with patient safety at the center.

Trust and psychological safety are critical to infection prevention in the operating room. In this installment of her interview with Infection Control Today®, Colleen Becker, PhD, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, senior director of perioperative education for Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, explains how leadership that fosters openness and shared accountability empowers perioperative teams to speak up, identify risks early, and strengthen adherence to infection prevention practices.

What if sterile gloves are not always the safest or smartest choice? Evidence from dermatologic surgery suggests nonsterile gloves can deliver comparable infection outcomes in low-risk procedures while saving tens of thousands of dollars annually. This analysis asks whether hair restoration surgery deserves the same evidence-based reexamination.

As 2026 begins, Infection Control Today®'s Editorial Advisory Board reflects on a challenging year shaped by misinformation, policy uncertainty, and relentless change, reaffirming a commitment to science, truth, and supporting IPC professionals who keep showing up for patients and public health.

Are you curious what the Top 5 Infection Control Today interviews were in 2025? Read this article to find out.

Look back with ICT at their print issues and look ahead at what ICT's 30th year will hold!