In light of the Tulsa dental debacle and ensuing patient questions and concerns, Noel Brandon Kelsch, RDHAP, of Moor Park CA, a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice and past president of the California Dental Hygienists’ Association, recommends the following…
The index case of hepatitis C virus (HCV) that triggered a massive testing effort of patients in a Tulsa, OK dental practice rife with infection control failings appears to be the first documented case of HCV infection via cross-transmission between…
I have been covering the field of infection control long enough to have learned never to underestimate the miracle that is the human immune system. That said, the patients of a Tulsa, OK, dental practice that are currently being tested…
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) face an unpredictable array of risks every day, from fires and hazardous materials to infectious diseases and sharps-related injuries. Who better to address infectious threats than the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, which has developed…
Already finalizing an infection control survey for hospitals, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the scope of the program to assess compliance with quality improvement and discharge planning during the same visit. The original plan was…
With the new Sydney strain of norovirus causing an increase in outbreaks in health care settings, infection control measures are critical to prevent transmission in hospitals and nursing homes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following basic…
A hospital outbreak of Klebsiella oxytoca was linked to contaminated sinks which were used for both hand hygiene and disposal of patient body fluids, investigators reported. K. oxytoca is primarily a health care–associated pathogen acquired from environmental sources. During…
An unannounced inspector from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) walks into the hospital and summons the infection preventionist. Looking down at a clipboard, he asks: “What were the last two hospital acquired infections that were serious…
We have been preaching to the proverbial choir in this space about protecting frail patients from influenza, but what about immune competent coworkers? A fascinating outbreak during the first weeks of the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 reveals…
Stacey Taylor RN,BSN, entered her job as a rookie infection preventionist with much more enthusiasm than experience, ready to take on a new role she saw as both interesting and important. Then, like some shunned geek in high school, she…