American Journal of Infection Control

It is estimated that over 110,000 surgical site infections (SSIs) occur in the United States every year, making them one of the most common health care-associated infections.1 SSIs prolong the length of hospital stay and increase mortality.2 As a

Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) for elderly individuals are prone to COVID-19 outbreaks with rapid and widespread dissemination, and residents in these facilities are at high risk of mortality due to their age and frailty.1,2 As of May 2020, 20%-35

Following publication of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) hand hygiene guidelines,1,2 considerable efforts have been dedicated to improving hand hygiene compliance among healthcare personnel

Antibiotic resistance is increasing worldwide, largely driven by excessive antibiotic use.1-4 Antibiotic stewardship (AS) addresses antibiotic resistance by ensuring that patients receive the appropriate antibiotic at the correct dose, route of

Approximately 5 million health care-associated infections (HAIs) occur each year in acute care hospitals in Europe, representing around 25 million supplementary days in hospital and an economic burden corresponding to 13-24 billion euros. Mortality

The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 was first discovered in 4 fully vaccinated diplomats in South Africa in November 2021. In late December 2021, Omicron became the dominant strain of COVID and quickly accounted for majority of infections in the United

The Emerging Infections Program (EIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently estimated from data collected at designated EIP locations that there were ∼236,000 cases of healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile

The goals of medicine encompass alleviating pain and suffering, promoting health and preventing disease, forestalling death, promoting a peaceful death, curing disease when possible, and caring for the incurable.1 The International Nosocomial

The COVID-19 pandemic directly impacted health care-associated infection (HAI) prevention efforts. Intensive care units (ICU) experienced increased strain, related to overcrowding, staff deficits, untrained staff, burnout syndrome, shortness of

Flexible endoscopes are essential tools used for minimally invasive screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures.1,2 Reusable endoscopes must be sterilized or high-level disinfected (HLD) between uses.1-4 Prior to sterilization or HLD