This week's coverage in Infection Control Today centered on a common thread: the systems, partnerships, and data that let infection prevention teams catch problems before patients are harmed.
|Articles|April 15, 2023
Weekly Rounds: Operating Room Efficiency, Reducing CLABSI and CAUTI, and Professional Development of IPs
Take 5 minutes to catch up on Infection Control Today®’s highlights for the week ending April 16, 2023.
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Here are 5 highlights from Infection Control Today®'s (ICT®’s) 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.
Improving Operating Room Efficiency
In an education session at the 2023 Association of the PeriOperative Nurses (AORN), Sheri Voss, MS, RN, CNOR (Emeritus), taught attendees about factors affecting operational performance in the operating room and what can be done about them.
Figuring Financial Impact of Surgical Site Infections With Cost Calculations
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are not getting documented as often as they occur, and the financial toll could be staggering. Two experts presented what can be done to reduce SSIs on this topic. Then they spoke with Infection Control Today at the Association for PeriOperative Nurses (AORN) held in San Antonio, Texas, on April 1-4, 2023.
Shortages Shown by Antibacterial Supply Patterns, Access Issues
Prescribers are presented with the optimal therapy challenges and achieving antibacterial stewardship.
Reducing CLABSI and CAUTI: What Is an Infection Preventionist’s Role?
Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) or catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) have been increasing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. What is the IP's role in preventing them and the mortalities that sometimes accompany them?
Encouraging Professional Development of IPs and Epidemiologists
How does someone become an infection preventionist or an epidemiologist? And how does the person continue to grow in their profession? Isis Lamphier, MPH, CIC, explains.
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Missing instruments and processing delays can strain OR–SPD relationships. At AORN 2026, John Kimsey, vice president of processing optimization and customer success for STERIS, discusses understanding root causes, exploring off-site reprocessing for ambulatory surgical centers, and using hands-on simulation to help surgical teams see sterile processing from a different perspective.
Knowing the protocol is only the beginning. In The Clean Bite, Sherrie Busby explores how explaining the why, addressing staff concerns, and creating clear procedures can help dental teams make infection control part of everyday practice.
A followed procedure can still leave patients at risk if it no longer matches validated requirements. Annetta L. McKnight, MHA, BSN, CRCST, CER, examines how infection prevention and sterile processing can identify process drift, assess disruptions, and strengthen shared oversight of medical device reprocessing.
Artist and designer Matthew Caliman shares how personal loss inspired the Cleanup Crew, a handwashing education project using cartoon faucets, songs, and games to help families revisit an essential health message.
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