Category: Hand Hygiene

6 Tips for Patients to Avoid Healthcare-Associated Infections

Patricia Stinchfield

When a loved one is hospitalized, the last thing anyone wants is for them to get an infection while receiving care. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on any given day, about 1 in 31 U.S. hospitalized patients has a healthcare-associated infection (HAI). An HAI is an infection that develops Read More >

Posted on by Patricia (Patsy) A. Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP6 CommentsTags , ,

Ethiopian Hospitals Use Infection Prevention and Control Practices to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

Two hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are demonstrating that even when access to resources is limited, commitment to infection prevention and control (IPC) practices makes combating antimicrobial resistance (AR) possible. Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria can cause severe, hard-to-treat infections. They were associated with almost 5 million deaths worldwide in 2019. IPC practices such as proper hand hygiene, Read More >

Posted on by Guest authors: Sophie Jones and Elizabeth Soda4 CommentsTags , , , , ,

Infection control reminders during this challenging respiratory virus season

Patient sneezing into her forearm while wearing a protective facemask.

Abigail L. Carlson, MD, MPH, Physician, Project Firstline, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, CDC With assistance from Mia Frederick (contractor, TANAQ) a writer for CDC’s Project Firstline in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. Over the past few months, there has been an increase in respiratory virus activity nationwide, causing additional strain on an already Read More >

Posted on by CDC Safe Healthcare Blog5 CommentsTags , ,

Clean Hands May Have Saved My Son’s Life

Describe what the image is intended to communicate—not what it looks like

As both a mom and preschool teacher, I have said “wash your hands” more times than I can imagine. Before my newborn son died in a hospital, I never imagined I needed to say it to a doctor. But if all healthcare personnel always used proper hand hygiene in my son’s care, sepsis may not Read More >

Posted on by Mary Ellen Mannix4 CommentsTags , ,