Personal Protective Equipment

Infection preventionists, Heather Saunders, MPH, RN, CIC; Tracy Field, RN, WCC, LALD, LTC- CIP; and Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC provide their thoughts on the best approaches regarding the removal of contaminated PPE.

International Infection Preventionist Day is a time to recognize the critical work of infection preventionists and to raise awareness about the importance of infection prevention in protecting public health.

The decline in the overall health of United States citizens has been blamed on good public health strategies, but the data doesn't support that idea. So, what does the data show? ICT examines what studies show.

Experts in infection prevention discuss PPE quality and highlight considerations relating to assessing appropriate levels of PPE contamination.

Heather Saunders, MPH, RN, CIC; Tracy Field, RN, WCC, LALD, LTC- CIP; and Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC, review CDC, OSHEA, NIOSH, and American Society of Testing and Materials guidelines to selecting PPE and best practices for donning and doffing PPE.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending April 2, 2023.

Experts in infection prevention discuss how PPE protects both the wearer and others, and how a well-fitting mask ensures high protection from germs and other infectious substances.

Heather Saunders, MPH, RN, CIC; Tracy Field, RN, WCC, LALD, LTC- CIP; and Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC, review the articles considered as personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gowns, and gloves.

NIH News Release: "...findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection damages the CD8+ T cell response, an effect akin to that observed in earlier studies showing long-term damage to the immune system after infection with viruses such as hepatitis C or HIV."

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending March 19, 2023.

How did first responders and firefighters navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath? Two firefighters/EMTs describe what that time was like for them.

Doe Kley, MPH, RN, CIC, LTC-CIP, T-CHEST, does a deep dive into what the key priorities infection preventionists and environmental hygienists should focus on in 2023. This is the first of 3 installments.

What do infection prevention and control personnel need to know about preparing for future pandemics? Maureen Hennessey, PhD, CPCC, CPHQ, SVP, and Cynthia Miller, MD, MPH, discuss their thoughts with ICT.

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

As the third year of COVID-19 begins, some questions have been answered, but others still remain. ICT asked leaders in the infection prevention and control field what answers the medical world needs now.

Week of March 1, 2023, Saskia v. Popescu, PhD, MPH, MA, CIC, discusses the hottest topics in infection prevention and control. This week it is the Marburg Virus, COVID-19 origins, and avian (bird) flu.

The triple epidemic or “tripledemic” of influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may have peaked. What caused the confluence of these viruses to start, and how can we stop it from happening again?

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending February 3, 2023.

Information for health care workers and patients to protect patients with cancer from infections.

How do infection preventionists navigate the many—and often contradictory—requirements that fighting the COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon them?

What do clinicians, infection preventionists, and environmental hygiene personnel do when faced with rare infectious diseases? Matt Pullen, MD, gives ICT® readers a tutorial.

Have the CDC and EPA given enough correct guidance on how to use cleaning products during the COVID-19 pandemic, or is it “fundamentally flawed”?

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

The public expects infectious disease experts to know how to protect them—and themselves—from getting ill from infectious diseases, including COVID-19. So, what happens when the infectious disease specialist gets ill herself?

Saskia v. Popescu, PhD, MPH, MA, CIC, discusses infectious diseases as the new year begins.