 wide-ranging coverage of the infection prevention and control world. Everything from interviews with known opinion leaders, to the news that infection preventionists and other health care professionals can use on their jobs.

Device Reprocessing Policies Must Be a Living Document

If the policies are not consistently updated, they are “just a piece of paper shoved in a logbook that is not going to effectively improve reprocessing…of ultrasound probes,” said Lisa Waldowski, DNP, RN, CIC.

Long COVID-19 and New Variants: Sounding a Continuing Alarm

It is easy to become complacent, but the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is not over, and long COVID-19 and the new variants are causing rising concern.

LTC Infection Preventionists’ Responsibilities Have Doubled Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

In all areas, infection preventionists took on more responsibilities and expanded the ones they already had, including staff education and employee health.

Infection Preventionists and EMS Personnel: Nurturing a Relationship

They should be partners making each other and their patients safe through communication, education, and action plans.

Surgical Urology Is an Untapped Area for Infection Preventionists

Despite the initial reluctance for a urology team to work with infection preventionists, the collaboration is beneficial for both specialties.

Prevention

 prevention page contains news and information on the latest updates on all facets of infection prevention. From vaccinations and immunizations to controlling air and water flow in a health care system, preventing infections falls not only on the IP staff, but on all who interact within the hospital, from environmental services teams to those planning and building new construction.   

COVID-19

 COVID-19 page brings readers the latest information and clinical updates on the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, from case counts and hospitalization rates to data on effective treatments for severe disease and the circulating viral variants.  

HAIs

 health care-acquired infections (HAIs) page presents updates on the latest techniques and strategies in the never-ending battle between infection preventionists and HAIs. Focusing on the latest in medical literature, we also present perspectives from the top infection preventionists and other medical experts in the country about how to put the growing knowledge of HAIs into use in the everyday world of infection prevention. Articles and videos often focus on methods to contain and control pathogens and multidrug-resistant organisms from spreading within the health care system.

Long-Term Care

 chronic and long-term care facilities page provides news, updates, and guidance on tackling infection prevention in these unique environments, including nursing homes, skilled nursing centers, and assisted-living facilities. This page includes news on cleaning, disinfection, antibiotic stewardship, hand hygiene, isolation precautions, outbreak protocol, and more as administrators and infection prevention teams seek to curb outbreaks of pneumonia, influenza, 

, urinary tract infections, and skin and soft tissue infections, among others.


Sterile Processing

 sterile processing page provides an inside look into the sterile processing (or central supply) department in the hospital where surgical instruments are cleaned, sterilized, and reprocessed in order to disinfect, remove bioburden, and prep for upcoming procedures. Sterile processing applies to not only the knives, scalpels, scissors, forceps, and clamps used in surgery, but also instruments such as endoscopes and duodenoscopes. 

 reports on the latest technology but also on the means to disinfect that technology. Also, the trend toward making more disposable surgical equipment. What does that mean for the sterile processing team?

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today’s highlights for the week ending July 1.


Weekly Rounds: Device Reprocessing Policies, Long-COVID-19 Alarm, and LTC IPs.