Insights on Infection Control

Hospital Nurses Reveal Infection Control Risk to Consumer Reports

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:52:00 GMT

While running on my treadmill after work, an interesting headline appeared on the local news channel: "Hospital nurses reveal risk of cleanliness, Consumer Reports investigates ." I was shocked to discover that 28 percent of nurses said they had seen...(read more)

Happy International Infection Prevention Week!

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:19:00 GMT

In attempt to increase awareness on infection prevention and call attention to the need to protect patients and the public from the risk of healthcare-associated infections, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC),...(read more)

Stimulus Money for Infection Control & Prevention

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:43:00 GMT

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, healthcare facilities should be able to ramp up their infection control programs.According to the American Medical Association's website, the "Prevention and Wellness" section of the healthcare...(read more)

Disposables as H1N1 Pandemic Prevention

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:49:00 GMT

A recent WebMD article addressing the flu pandemic said, "H1N1 swine flu is spreading faster and wider in the U.S. That's worrisome -- but more and more, health officials are fretting about what might happen the fall." In lieu of the growing concern around...(read more)

Dangerous Uniforms Part 2

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:04:00 GMT

In response to my last posting about uniforms and infection control, Lorettajo Kapinos, an ER RN from Springfield, MA, asked a good question about cleanliness of uniforms and timeframes. "I'd especially like to know if it's safe for 4 hours, 8 hours,...(read more)

Are Nursing Uniforms Dangerous?

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:09:00 GMT

A recent posting in the Wall Street Journal's health blog, "AMA Weighs Whether Docs Should Hang Up Their White Coats," highlights current discussion around whether physicians should have any clothing beyond the elbow, as it could harbor serious bacteria...(read more)

H1N1: Is It a Crisis or Is Staffing the Real Crisis?

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:08:00 GMT

I recently returned from the APIC conference, where topics on the agenda ranged from H1NI, to Model Infection Prevention System of the Future. Most infection preventionists at the meeting felt they knew how to address the challenges of this new pandemic...(read more)

Improper Cleaning of Devices at the VA Leads to Major Repercussions

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:03:00 GMT

There's been some interesting dialog in the news lately about the problems the VA had this week with the improper cleaning of colonoscopes and the major repercussions. How many of you have been surprised (or not) by what's happened and the resulting media...(read more)

The Latest for Infection Control Professionals

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:43:00 GMT

I am attending the annual Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) in Ft. Lauderdale this week. There will be significant information on the latest topics in infection prevention from leading experts on pandemics, of course, including...(read more)

Preventing the Spread of Swine Flu

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:15:00 GMT

Thank you again, to those who read my last posting about handwashing and the importance of this simple, yet critical practice both for healthcare practitioners and the public in general. It is especially relevant today with the latest outbreak of H1N1...(read more)

Hand Hygiene

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:46:00 GMT

Thank you to those who read my last posting about using disposable medical devices as an infection prevention method. I was interested to see the posting that you "try to clean stethoscopes between patients." There are numerous clinical studies that link...(read more)

Reducing HAIs With Disposables

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:28:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, we asked you how many of you were using disposable vs. reusable blood pressure cuffs. It was interesting to see that close to 80% of you use reusable cuffs to only 20% disposable. Many studies show that HAIs are often passed on medical...(read more)

Welcome to Insights on Infection Control

Susan Dubay, MPA, BSN, RN — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:57:00 GMT

Thank you for your interest in this critically important area in healthcare today. I'm hoping this space will give you an opportunity to share your opinions and comments as professionals who deal with this important topic each and every day. While writing...(read more)