If you doubt the contention that it can take years — or even decades — for evidence to trickle into clinical practice, look no further than the lack of progress in implementing...

When post-op infections occur at University of Wisconsin Health in Madison, a Strike Team assembles to drill down to their root causes and then takes immediate action...

During the peak waves of the pandemic, facilities turned to the high-tech power of whole room disinfection systems that employ powerful ultraviolet (UV) light or hydrogen peroxide mist to supplement the superior...

Two years ago last month, the coronavirus began to spread across the country. The virulent strain, which most of us had never heard of before it quickly became part of...

Few things are more devastating for patients than a pain-free, perfectly executed procedure that results in a completely preventable surgical site infection (SSI). In fact,...

Hopefully, there’s a robust hand hygiene culture among the staff at your facility. But what about your patients? They might not be as aware of the importance of keeping their hands clean during the course of their care. That’s why...

Last May, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) revised its guideline for patient skin antisepsis to provide evidence-based practices that reduce...

If you’re one of the many facilities leaders wrestling with trying to decide which patients should undergo nasal decolonization before their procedures, you might be asking...

Surface cleaning has been at the top of everyone’s mind for nearly two years during the pandemic. The truth is, this should always be the case, as ORs are high-risk areas...

Manual surface cleaning isn’t completely effective. Your staff can’t eliminate every pathogen, no matter how much elbow grease they apply and diligence they display....

Instrument cleaning and sterilization is a complicated process rife with potential oversights and failures, so how can you be completely certain your facility’s tools are...

The steady movement of total hip and knee arthroplasties to outpatient ORs shows no signs of slowing down thanks to advances in minimally invasive surgical...

Most cataract surgeons can remove a cloudy natural lens and implant an IOL in less than 10 minutes, so high-volume ophthalmic facilities thrive by finding ways to...

Sometimes it takes an unprecedented global event to help facilities refocus their efforts on the basic, tried-and-true protocols that fell by the wayside as pressing issues demanded immediate attention. COVID-19 was...

You’re probably aware that AORN’s evidence-based surgical attire guideline promotes cleanliness in the surgical space to protect patients and personnel from transmission...

Surgical facilities across the country are in a holding pattern as court injunctions have temporarily blocked federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates for about half of the...

There are plenty of reasons more surgeons are turning to non-traditional ways to improve their wound-closure techniques and improve the overall healing process....

The pandemic has highlighted the important work performed by surgical professionals and infection preventionists in surgery centers across the country as concerns...

The first step to ensuring your facility’s instruments are properly cleaned and sterilized is grasping the importance of the tasks and appreciating the hardworking staff...

We’re almost two years into the pandemic and by now the revamped infection prevention protocols you rushed to implement in order to keep your doors open must...