The Green Revolution in SPD: From Hidden Cost to Frontline Change
July 30th 2025As climate change accelerates, health care’s environmental impact faces increased scrutiny, with sterile processing departments (SPDs) emerging as key change agents. Often behind the scenes, SPD professionals can lead sustainability by turning routine practices into ecofriendly protocols that protect both patient and planetary health.
Is the US Quietly Ending COVID-19 Vaccination for the Young and Healthy
July 29th 2025As the FDA limits COVID-19 vaccine approvals to high-risk groups, healthy adults and pregnant individuals are being left behind. Learn how these changes could impact insurance coverage, long COVID prevention, and public health strategies.
Sharps Safety Starts with Us: Why Infection Preventionists Must Lead the Charge
July 28th 2025Sharps injuries remain a silent but serious threat in health care that infection preventionists are uniquely equipped to confront. With underreporting widespread and safety devices underused, it’s time for IPs to step into a leadership role, using their expertise in systems thinking, education, and policy to build a culture where staff protection is as prioritized as patient care.
Breaking the Cycle of Silence: Why Sharps Injuries Go Unreported and What Can Be Done
Published: July 24th 2025 | Updated: July 23rd 2025Despite decades of progress in health care safety, a quiet but dangerous culture still lingers: many health care workers remain afraid to report sharps injuries, fearing blame more than the wound itself.
Flawed From the Start: Why Many IFUs for Surgical Instruments Fail in Real-World Sterile Processing
July 23rd 2025At the 2025 HSPA Annual Conference & Expo, Cori L. Ofstead, MSPH, highlighted critical flaws in manufacturers’ instructions for use (IFUs) for orthopedic and neurosurgical instruments. From contradictory directions to unrealistic cleaning expectations, these IFUs often fail under real-world conditions, jeopardizing both patient safety and sterile processing workflows.
Broadening the Path: Diverse Educational Routes Into Infection Prevention Careers
July 4th 2025Once dominated by nurses, infection prevention now welcomes professionals from public health, lab science, and respiratory therapy—each bringing unique expertise that strengthens patient safety and IPC programs.
“A Coup Against Science”: Health Groups Decry Kennedy’s Firing of National Vaccine Advisory Panel
June 12th 2025Health leaders are outraged after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly fired all 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, calling it a political purge that threatens public trust and vaccine safety.
Endoscopes and Lumened Instruments: New Studies Highlight Persistent Contamination Risks
May 7th 2025Two new studies reveal troubling contamination in both new endoscopes and cleaned lumened surgical instruments, challenging the reliability of current reprocessing practices and manufacturer guidelines.
Robust infectious disease surveillance, including rapid subtyping of influenza A, is essential for early detection, containment, and public health reporting of novel viral threats.
HHS Layoffs: ICT Chats With APIC 2025 President Carol McLay, DrPH, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC, FSHEA
April 14th 2025Mass federal layoffs threaten infection prevention nationwide, with APIC president Carol McLay, DrPH, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC, FSHEA, warning of disrupted public health infrastructure, rising HAIs, and a diminished infection control workforce.
Uncovering a Hidden Risk: Alcohol Use Disorder Significantly Increases C difficile Infection Rates
April 10th 2025A groundbreaking study reveals a strong connection between alcohol use disorder and increased risk for Clostridioides difficile infection, challenging traditional assumptions and calling for enhanced infection prevention protocols.
Invisible, Indispensable: The Vital Role of AHRQ in Infection Prevention
March 25th 2025With health care systems under strain and infection preventionists being laid off nationwide, a little-known federal agency stands as a last line of defense against preventable patient harm. Yet the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is now facing devastating cuts—threatening decades of progress in patient safety.
The Guardians of Animal Health: Who Are Veterinary Infection Preventionists?
March 21st 2025Veterinary infection control experts Leslie Kollmann, BS, AAS, CVT, CIC, Denise Waiting, LVT, and Leslie Landis, LVT, BS, discuss challenges, zoonotic disease risks, and the importance of education, collaboration, and resource development in animal care facilities.
The Future of Reusable PPE in Health Care: A Sustainable and Cost-Effective Solution
March 5th 2025Reusable PPE offers a cost-effective, sustainable solution for health care, reducing waste and improving supply chain resilience. Overcoming adoption barriers requires education, policy support, and industry-wide collaboration.
Beyond Civil Rights: Black Trailblazers in Medicine and Infection Prevention
February 28th 2025Black History Month should celebrate pioneers like Drs William Hinton, Daniel Hale Williams, and Charles Drew, whose medical breakthroughs revolutionized infection prevention, surgery, and blood preservation.