Continuing in its mission to prevent hospital acquired infections (HAIs), Professional Disposables International, Inc. (PDI), will fund and collaborate with leaders from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and Safe Care Campaign, an advocacy group, to create “The Champion’s Kit.” Focusing on infection prevention, the kit is a resource tool to assist infection preventionists in educating the hospital staff and administrators about proper infection prevention techniques and solutions. Educating these “champions of infection prevention” will help the hospital/facility reach their goal of zero HAIs.
Joann Reilly, PDI’s senior director of marketing, says, “We are happy to support APIC as PDI is committed to fighting the spread of deadly infections and reducing cross-contamination worldwide.”
Included in the kit will be a quick start/facilitators guide for the infection preventionist, five motivational posters (in English and Spanish), successful case studies on hand hygiene, surface disinfection and skin antisepsis, a resource guide and a motivational video from Safe Care Campaign founder Victoria Nahum, who lost a child from a hospital-acquired infection. As part of the program, PDI will sponsor the initial run of 20,000 kits and distribute them at the annual APIC meeting, to be held June 6-11, 2009 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. They will also be distributed to APIC members who do not attend APIC 2009, as well as to healthcare executives at various speaking engagements.
This program is in addition to PDI’s ongoing infection prevention efforts. The company’s PIT Crew, or “Preventing Infections Together,” was introduced in 2007 and focuses on training healthcare workers in the latest products and infection prevention techniques on surface disinfection, hand hygiene and skin antisepsis. For more information, visit www.pdipdi.com.
A Helping Hand: Innovative Approaches to Expanding Hand Hygiene Programs in Acute Care Settings
July 9th 2025Who knew candy, UV lights, and a college kid in scrubs could double hand hygiene adherence? A Pennsylvania hospital’s creative shake-up of its infection prevention program shows that sometimes it takes more than soap to get hands clean—and keep them that way.
How Contaminated Is Your Stretcher? The Hidden Risks on Hospital Wheels
July 3rd 2025Despite routine disinfection, hospital surfaces, such as stretchers, remain reservoirs for harmful microbes, according to several recent studies. From high-touch areas to damaged mattresses and the effectiveness of antimicrobial coatings, researchers continue to uncover persistent risks in environmental hygiene, highlighting the critical need for innovative, continuous disinfection strategies in health care settings.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
Streamlined IFU Access Boosts Infection Control and Staff Efficiency
June 17th 2025A hospital-wide quality improvement project has transformed how staff access critical manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs), improving infection prevention compliance and saving time through a standardized, user-friendly digital system supported by unit-based training and interdepartmental collaboration.
Spring Into Safety: How Seasonal Deep Cleaning Strengthens Hospital Infection Control
June 13th 2025Rooted in ancient rituals of renewal, spring-cleaning has evolved from cultural tradition to a vital infection prevention strategy in modern hospitals—one that blends seasonal deep cleaning with advanced disinfection to reduce pathogens, improve air quality, and protect patients.