American Journal of Infection Control

The hands of health care workers (HCWs) are the main carriers of nosocomial pathogen transmission during health care.1 Hand hygiene is a feasible and effective intervention to reduce health care associated infections (HAIs),2-4 which is also a cost

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative, nonfermentative aerobic bacterium widely found in humid and aqueous environments. There have been a growing number of reports about its contamination in health care settings where contact with water is

Every year, U.S. laundry providers reprocess over 4 billion pounds of healthcare textiles (HCTs), including surgical scrubs, uniforms, bed sheets, blankets, patient gowns, towels, and washcloths.1 When laundered according to guidelines provided by

SARS-CoV-2 infection poses a particularly acute risk to end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. During the first seven months of the pandemic, it is estimated that excess deaths in this population were 8.7-12.9 per 1000 patients1. In a study of ESRD

Infection prevention professionals (IPs) reduce and eliminate hospital associated infections (HAIs) through evidence-based infection control programming within health care systems. IPs come from diverse professional backgrounds (eg, epidemiologists

Vaccine hesitancy has become a global public health concern.1,2 MacDonald and the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy defined it as “delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite the availability of

Ever since its emergence, COVID-19 has posed a serious threat to members of the population who are older and have underlying health conditions, with those residing in Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) being particularly susceptible. The purpose of

An analysis of the Clinical Excellence Commissions response to COVID-19 prevention and protection measures identified the need to build on the existing governance process to achieve a more structured and methodical approach. The infection prevention

Infection Prevention (IP) department structures vary in how responsibilities are assigned. During the COVID-19 pandemic IP program workload significantly increased and healthcare-associated infections (HAI) performance declined. This study assessed

One out of every 25 patients is impacted by a healthcare-acquired infection (HAI). Mitigation and prevention efforts require both a skilled infection preventionist (IP) and a high functioning infection prevention committee (IPC) by which the