Authors


Morgan Waddell

Latest:

First Responders Tackle Infection Control and Prevention Challenges

How did first responders and firefighters navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath? Two firefighters/EMTs describe what that time was like for them.


Erica Smith, MBA

Latest:

The Heavy Hitters: Three Essentials for Exam Room Infection Prevention

Gloves, masks, and surface disinfectants are infection prevention powerhouses. Equip your practice with these essentials to protect patients and staff this cold and influenza (flu) season.


Ellen Anderson-Manz, RN, BSN

Latest:

How To Perform Surgical Hand Scrubs

How to perform surgical hand scrubs.


Kenneth Maxik, MBA, MBB

Latest:

Pharmacists Have Delivered During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Getting to know community pharmacists—in fact developing a professional rapport with those pharmacists—should be on an infection preventionist’s to-do list.


Frank Meek, BCE, PHE, PCQI

Latest:

How To Help Prevent Stinging Pests in Your Facility

Medical facilities must consider stinging pests and the infections that they can cause when maintaining their grounds to protect their patients and staff.


Franklin Dexter, MD, PhD, FASA

Latest:

Bacterial Transmission in Anesthesia Work Areas Explains Surgical Site Infections

A recent study offers potential solutions to the frequent occurrence of surgical site infections, despite the sterile environment of surgical fields.


Kenneth Bender, PharmD, MA

Latest:

CDC Strategies Preventing Hospital-Onset C difficile Effectiveness Inconclusive in Testing

Hospitals using CDC prevention strategies had different incidences of hospital-associated Clostridioides difficile infection compared to those that didn't, but the reasons are not necessarily the strategies themselves.


Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC, CAIP, CASSPT

Latest:

Infection Prevention Matters in Heart Matters

Silent threats lurk within—heart infections can stem from unnoticed bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Infection preventionists hold the power to stop these hidden killers before they strike.


Connie Steed, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC
Connie Steed, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC

Latest:

Infections in Hospitals Are Rising—The Nose Is a Primary Source 

Rates of health care-associated infections rose during the COVID-19 pandemic. Investigators have found that often the infections came from the patients themselves. But how?


Audrey Friedman, RN, CLNC

Latest:

The Role Infection Preventionists Play in Thwarting Surgical Site Infections

With 60% of surgical site infections estimated to be preventable, IPs hold a key prevention role in patient safety.


Luci Perri, MSN, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC, CSPDT

Latest:

IPs Play Hidden Role in Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs

The increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance, exacerbated by the pandemic, underscores the importance of the infection preventionist as an active member of the antimicrobial stewardship program.


FAZILA RAJAB, BDS

Latest:

The Latest on Candida auris: Updates, Challenges, and Prevention Strategies

Stay informed on the growing threat of Candida auris with expert insights on its multidrug-resistance, clinical manifestations, and effective prevention strategies for health care settings.


Tori Whitacre Martonicz

Latest:

“Ongoing Assault”: How HHS Layoffs Have Eviscerated Infection Prevention Support Across the Nation

Mass layoffs at HHS and CDC have gutted critical infection prevention programs, leaving frontline professionals overwhelmed, under-resourced, and desperate to safeguard public health.


Nameera Temkar

Latest:

Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue: What Infection Prevention Personnel Need to Know

IPC personnel, please familiarize yourselves with the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses and affects nearly all continents.


Ron Southwick

Latest:

COVID-19 Spread: Droplets or Particles? It’s Not an Either/Or

Recent research into COVID-19 suggests that health care systems need to move beyond the idea that pathogen spread happens either via droplets or aerosolized particles. Patients can generate the full range of respiratory particles.


Syra Madad, DHSc, MSc, MCP

Latest:

Without an Engaged Community, Infection Prevention Can Flounder

Coupling risk communication and effective engagement with the community can provide opportunities to change behavior and shape awareness of basic practices that can break the chain of transmission for many diseases.


Alesia McKeown, PhD

Latest:

The Critical Role of Rapid Diagnostics in Antibiotic Stewardship

Rapid diagnostics enhance patient outcomes by enabling prompt, targeted treatments, reducing inappropriate antibiotic use, and combating antimicrobial resistance through informed clinical decisions and stewardship programs.


Amber Wood, MSN, RN, CNOR, CIC, FAPIC

Latest:

Nurses and Infection Preventionists: An Integral Partnership

Infection preventionists and perioperative nurses should collaborate to track and share infection rate data and participate in interdisciplinary workgroups to emphasize patient safety amid burnout and staffing and supply shortages.


Shawna Paro, MSN, RN, CIC
Shawna Paro, MSN, RN, CIC

Latest:

Ultrasound in Percutaneous Procedures: One Size Does Not Fit All for Reprocessing

Accurate device information and proper sterilization or disinfection are crucial to ensure safety during ultrasound procedures.


Benjamin Frieders

Latest:

Understanding AAMI ST108:2023: Essential Guide to New Water Quality Standards in Health Care

Water, essential in health care, from hygiene to medical procedures. AAMI's ST108 sets new standards, vital for patient safety and equipment integrity.


Matt Hoffman

Latest:

FDA Places Clinical Hold on Novavax COVID-19-Influenza Combination Vaccine Due to Adverse Event

Novavax’s COVID-19-Influenza Combination vaccine faces a clinical hold after a trial participant developed motor neuropathy, pending further investigation by the FDA.


Robbie Hilliard, MSN, RN, CIC

Latest:

Antibiotic Stewardship in Long-Term Care: Leveraging McGeer and Loeb Criteria for Better Outcomes

Antibiotic stewardship in long-term care facilities relies on McGeer and Loeb criteria to guide infection surveillance and appropriate prescribing, ensuring better outcomes for residents and reducing resistance.


Devin Jopp, EdD, MS

Latest:

How AI Can Strengthen Infection Prevention and Control

In this exclusive article, Devin Jopp, the CEO of APIC, discusses the upcoming day-long virtual conference entitled “APIC AI Summit: The Impact of AI on IPC.”


Craig Kimble, PharmD, MBA, MS, BCACP

Latest:

Pharmacists Have Delivered During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Getting to know community pharmacists—in fact developing a professional rapport with those pharmacists—should be on an infection preventionist’s to-do list.


Rodney E. Rohde, PhD, SV/SM/MB(ASCP)CM, FASc

Latest:

Even in Shadow of COVID-19, Influenza Poses Pandemic Threat

The ability of any infectious agent to maintain constant transmission enables it to be an ongoing threat to public health. Few pathogens have achieved greater success at ongoing transmission potential than the influenza virus.


Peter Teska

Latest:

Pathogens Underfoot Can Floor Patients, Health Care Workers

Evidence shows that bacteria on floors can be resuspended into the air with a potential of inhalation, swallowing, or contamination of surfaces and hands.


Nathan Dowling

Latest:

Monkeypox Details for Infection Preventionists

Adding to their exhaustion because of other diseases rampant worldwide, like influenza and COVID-19, infection preventionists need to understand and recognize the basics of monkeypox as well since it has made its debut in the US.


Mary Jean Ricci, MSN, RNBC

Latest:

Diversity Can Be Best Ally for Infection Preventionists

Perspectives from a diversity of health care workers improve the care and outcomes of patients.


Michelle Ferrant, DNP, CNS, RN, RNC-NIC

Latest:

COVID-19 Gave Birth to Changes in Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Testing of the infant of the COVID-19–positive mother requires 2 negative COVID-19 tests 2 days apart. This time delay adds to the challenge of ensuring available isolation beds.


Mark Hodgson, BSc, LRSC, CMIP

Latest:

How to Choose the Right Disinfectant to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections

Choosing the correct disinfectant can be difficult. This expert explains how to select the proper one.