Loaner Instrumentation: How to Turn a Horror Story Into a Happy Ending

Infection Control Today celebrates 30 years of covering the people, science, and challenges shaping infection prevention with another milestone: its first digital magazine, featuring outbreak analysis, biosecurity, respiratory testing, sterile processing, professional leadership, conference coverage, and more.

A needlestick injury happens in seconds. Its cause may have started hours earlier. Amy Piser argues that getting closer to “sharps injury zero” requires health care organizations to stop focusing solely on the moment of injury and start examining the systems surrounding it.

Coffee cups aren't infectious. Yet ordinary trash can end up in regulated medical waste streams, increasing both costs and environmental impact. Ashley L. Perry, MS, explains how hospitals can improve waste segregation, scrutinize green claims, and balance sustainability with infection prevention.

If your USP <797> environmental monitoring program only identifies problems after an excursion, are you really in control? Rhonda Lintner outlines 3 levels of maturity: compliance, data trending, and genus-level identification.

This week on Infection Control Today, the stories ranged from emerging drug-resistant pathogens circling the globe to a landmark decade of surface science—all against a backdrop of ongoing outbreaks and a hard look at what the profession owes its own workforce.

At AHE 2026 in New Orleans, The Beryl Institute's Stacy Palmer discussed 8 guiding principles for experience excellence and why EVS professionals influence far more than environmental cleanliness. Their interactions, workplace culture, and connection with patients help shape the overall human experience of health care.

Drug-resistant Trichophyton indotineae has now been identified in 29 countries. Its resistance to first-line terbinafine, resemblance to other dermatophytes, and expanding global transmission are creating new challenges for diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, and antifungal stewardship.

During National EVS Week, appreciation matters, but partnership matters more. Environmental services professionals bring infection prevention expertise and a unique understanding of the health care environment that can help identify barriers, improve cleaning and disinfection practices, and ultimately protect patients.