Safe Healthcare Blog

Hosted by CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. If you have questions or comments about healthcare safety topics, please contact CDC-INFO at https://wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/ContactUs/Form.

CDC Investing in the Next Generation of Prevention and Response in States

Dr. Denise Cardo

Denise Cardo, MD, Former Director, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The past two years have been an extraordinary time for the U.S. healthcare system and public health. Many healthcare facilities and healthcare workers were pushed to the brink—facing incredible Read More >

Posted on by CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog7 CommentsTags , , , , , , , , ,

Compendium 2022 Update: Strategies for Healthcare-associated Infection Prevention

Updated recommendations on how to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), as well as ventilator-associated pneumonia, ventilator-associated events (VAEs), and non-ventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia (NV-HAP) were recently published. These changes come at a time when the need to strengthen infection prevention programs and help hospitals rebuild and support healthcare systems is urgent. These two guidance documents Read More >

Posted on by Lisa Maragakis, M.D., M.P.H., FSHEA, FIDSA and Deborah Yokoe, MD, MPH16 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 , ,

Medication Safety for Parents & Caregivers

When our children don’t feel well, we parents will look to just about anything to bring them comfort. Many times, this means reaching for medication to ease their symptoms. As a pediatrician, I know the safest place to store medicine in between uses is in a location up and away. But as a mom, I’ve Read More >

Posted on by Dr. Hailey Nelson, MD, FAAP, IBCLCTags , , ,

Finding My Voice as a C. diff Patient

Christina Fuhrman with her daughter.

At the age of 31, I knew nothing of patient advocacy; having a voice for my own healthcare simply hadn’t crossed my mind. I’ve since learned that it is essential to include patient voices in the healthcare system. When I was prescribed a preventive antibiotic for a root canal I, like most Americans, thought nothing Read More >

Posted on by Christina Fuhrman6 CommentsTags , , ,