# Infection Prevention * **Definition:** Strategies and practices designed to prevent the spread of infections within healthcare settings, particularly aimed at reducing the risk of infections in patients during medical procedures. * **Taxonomy:** Healthcare Topics / Infection Prevention ## News * Selected news on the topic of **Infection Prevention**, for healthcare technology leaders * 3.1K news items are in the system for this topic * Posts have been filtered for tech and healthcare-related keywords | Date | Title | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | 5/12/2025 | [**CEOs' top 11 priorities for CIOs - Becker's Hospital Review - Healthcare News & Analysis**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/ceos-top-11-priorities-for-cios/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/23/2025 | [**Former NCI director appointed CEO of Ohio State cancer center**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/oncology/former-nci-director-appointed-ceo-of-ohio-state-cancer-center/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/23/2025 | [**ECU Health taps Force Therapeutics for care automation**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/care-coordination/ecu-health-taps-force-therapeutics-for-care-automation/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/23/2025 | [**Stanford Medicine blood test detects cancer: What to know**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/oncology/stanford-medicine-blood-test-detects-cancer-what-to-know/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/23/2025 | [**Baptist Memorial Health Care to sell long-term care hospital**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/post-acute/baptist-memorial-health-care-to-sell-long-term-care-hospital/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/22/2025 | [**Bon Secours Mercy Health hospital taps CFO**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-executive-moves/bon-secours-mercy-health-hospital-taps-cfo/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/21/2025 | [**Introducing Ambient Order Staging in Suki Assistant**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/ai/introducing-ambient-order-staging-in-suki-assistant/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/18/2025 | [**Top healthcare AI companies, per Forbes**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/ai/top-healthcare-ai-companies-per-forbes/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/8/2025 | [**Healthcare Mly Update: Q1 2025**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/strategy/healthcare-ma-quarterly-update-q1-2025/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/7/2025 | [**ScribeEMR: Revolutionizing Healthcare Through Innovative Solutions**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/innovation/scribeemr-revolutionizing-healthcare-through-innovative-solutions/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/3/2025 | [**Florida heart center names cath labs in honor of $10M gift**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cardiology/florida-heart-center-names-cath-labs-in-honor-of-10m-gift/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/3/2025 | [**Northwell team performs hospital's 1st pediatric heart transplant**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cardiology/northwell-team-performs-hospitals-1st-pediatric-heart-transplant/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/3/2025 | [**Pharma tariffs exempt for now: 4 things to know**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/supply-chain/pharma-tariffs-exempt-for-now-4-things-to-know/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/3/2025 | [**Pennsylvania hospital to close June 30**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/pennsylvania-hospital-to-close-june-30/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/3/2025 | [**UCI Health CIO joins PeaceHealth - Becker's Hospital Review - Healthcare News & Analysis**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-executive-moves/uci-health-cio-joins-peacehealth/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/3/2025 | [**10 hospitals, health systems seeking pharmacy leaders**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/10-hospitals-health-systems-seeking-pharmacy-leaders/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 4/3/2025 | [**Systems try out medical gown alternatives**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/patient-experience/systems-try-out-medical-gown-alternatives/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 3/20/2025 | [**Health IT & CIO Report Archives - Page 233 of 294 - Becker's Hospital Review**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/newsletter-category/beckers-hospital-cio-report-e-weekly/page/233/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 3/16/2025 | [**Sharp HealthCare bets big on spatial computing**](https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/innovation/sharp-healthcare-bets-big-on-spatial-computing/) | [[Beckers Hospital Review]] | | 2/5/2025 | [**KLAS Research ranks Wolters Kluwer's Sentri7 #1 for Infection Control & Monitoring**](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250205649842/en/KLAS-Research-ranks-Wolters-Kluwer%E2%80%99s-Sentri7-1-for-Infection-Control-Monitoring/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-Q-tiwWZwkcswR1UZtV7eGe24xL9TZOyQUMS3J72mJlQ7fxFuNFTHSunhvli30RlBNXya2izy9YOgHlBiZQk2LOzmn6JePCpHPCiYGaEx4DL1Rq8pNwkf3AarimpDzQGuQ==) | [[Business Wire]] | | 2/5/2025 | [**KLAS Research ranks Wolters Kluwer's Sentri7 #1 for Infection Control & Monitoring**](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250205649842/en/KLAS-Research-ranks-Wolters-Kluwer%E2%80%99s-Sentri7-1-for-Infection-Control-Monitoring/?feedref=JjAwJuNHiystnCoBq_hl-RLXHJgazfQJNuOVHefdHP-D8R-QU5o2AvY8bhI9uvWSD8DYIYv4TIC1g1u0AKcacnnViVjtb72bOP4-4nHK5ieT3WxPE8m_kWI77F87CseT) | [[Business Wire]] | | 11/5/2024 | [**Making a Business Case for Infection Preventionists - HealthLeaders Media**](https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/cmo/making-business-case-infection-preventionists) | [[HealthLeaders Media]] | | 9/19/2024 | [**Community Connection - Importance of Vaccinations - St. Luke's - WFMZ-TV - WFMZ.com**](https://www.wfmz.com/community/community-connection/st-lukes/community-connection-importance-of-vaccinations/video_b0382741-ee35-5be7-b023-7e05afcb93c9.html) | wfmz.com | | 9/12/2024 | [**Fall 2024 - Provider Magazine**](https://www.providermagazine.com/Issues/2024/Fall/Pages/default.aspx) | providermagazine.com | | 8/21/2024 | [**OIG: 1 in 4 Non-Profit Nursing Homes Failed to Meet Infection Prevention Regulations**](https://skillednursingnews.com/2024/08/oig-1-in-4-non-profit-nursing-homes-failed-to-meet-infection-prevention-regulations/) | [[Skilled Nursing News]] | ## Topic Overview (Some LLM-derived content — please confirm with above primary sources) ### Key Players - **Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)**: A leading organization advocating for infection prevention and control practices in healthcare settings. - **APIC**: The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, which conducts research and advocates for infection prevention staffing. - **Luz Caicedo**: Infection preventionist who presented a business case for expanding IPC staff at the APIC Annual Conference. - **AdventHealth Celebration Hospital**: A healthcare facility that has enhanced its infection prevention and control staff, leading to improved patient safety and reduced infection rates. - **U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)**: A national public health institute that provides guidance and support for infection prevention and control initiatives. - **World Health Organization (WHO)**: Released updated infection prevention and control guidelines for COVID-19. - **Boston Children's Hospital**: Utilized a staffing calculator to assess infection prevention needs, resulting in increased staffing. - **Ecolab Inc.**: A global leader in infection prevention and instrument reprocessing, focusing on reducing hospital-acquired infections. - **Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)**: A federal agency that oversees compliance with healthcare standards, including infection prevention in nursing homes. - **Infectious Diseases Society of America**: A professional organization that advocates for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, emphasizing the importance of funding for public health initiatives. - **BioInteractions**: Focuses on surface active therapeutics to prevent infections in medical devices. - **Kontakt.io**: Launched a cloud-based Hand Hygiene solution to improve caregiver engagement in infection prevention. - **Mount Sinai**: Research institution that developed enhanced screening protocols for Candida auris to improve infection control. - **Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP)**: A leader in healthcare solutions, emphasizing collaboration and innovation in infection prevention technologies. - **Trinity Guardion**: A leader in hospital bed hygiene solutions, specializing in FDA-cleared, reusable hospital bed barriers designed to minimize infection risks. - **Sonic Healthcare**: A global healthcare company that has made significant acquisitions to enhance its infection prevention capabilities. - **Ziegler**: Conducts surveys to understand technology investment trends among long-term care providers, focusing on infection prevention technologies. ### Partnerships and Collaborations - **Integration with Physicians**: The increased infection prevention staff allows for better collaboration with physicians, enhancing the effectiveness of infection control measures. - **Nigeria Infection Prevention and Control Technical Working Group**: A collaboration involving the Nigerian government, CDC, and various stakeholders to enhance infection prevention efforts. - **APIC and hospitals**: Collaboration to utilize an online staffing calculator for assessing infection prevention staffing needs. - **CloroxPro and IPAC Canada**: Collaboration to develop educational programs for infection control in healthcare organizations. - **Primel and Clean Hospitals Association**: A partnership to promote hygiene-first practices and improve healthcare standards. - **HHS and CMS**: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure compliance with infection prevention training regulations in nursing homes. - **Wolters Kluwer**: Collaborating with healthcare organizations to enhance infection prevention efforts through its Sentri7 solution. - **Major Joseph Marcus, MD**: Collaborated with infectious disease clinicians to standardize antimicrobial prophylaxis and infection prevention practices in ECMO patients. - **HygenX Ai and San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital**: Implemented the RAY™ robot for enhanced clinical disinfection, improving infection prevention measures. - **PENTAX Medical and Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP)**: Collaborated to enhance duodenoscope reprocessing and reduce cross-contamination risks. - **Covalon and I2Pure**: A joint venture to innovate wound care technology aimed at preventing infections. - **Truss Health and KIMS Hospital**: A strategic partnership to enhance postoperative care and infection control through advanced AI-driven monitoring. - **TOMI Environmental Solutions**: Collaborating with partners to combat avian influenza using advanced disinfection technology. - **W&H Group**: Renewed its membership as a Super Sponsor for the Association for Dental Safety (ADS) to promote infection prevention in dental practices. - **Albany County Department of Health**: Collaborating with local care facilities to ensure timely testing and treatment for Legionnaires' disease. - **Microbials Accelerator by LYVA Labs and BioNow**: Supports SMEs in developing infection control technologies through business support and funding acquisition. - **TOMI Environmental Solutions and UK Pharmaceutical Facility**: Installed a Custom Engineered Solution (CES) to enhance decontamination capabilities without facility shutdowns. - **Health IT Executives**: Collaboration among health IT leaders to implement technology that aligns with healthcare missions and addresses future challenges. - **University Hospitals**: Expanding its hybrid virtual nursing model to enhance integrated, team-based care across emergency departments and hospitals. - **Meditech and Trusted Exchange Framework**: Enhancing interoperability to provide clinicians with comprehensive patient health history integrated into their workflows. ### Innovations, Trends, and Initiatives - **Infection Surveillance Solutions**: Utilizing predictive analytics and machine learning to enhance infection prevention and control in healthcare settings. - **Post-Pandemic Focus**: The evolving needs of infection preventionists have led to increased demand for innovative solutions like Sentri7, which enhances the management of hospital-acquired infections. - **Increased Staffing**: Doubling the infection prevention staff from 2.0 to 4.8 full-time equivalents to ensure a proactive presence in patient care areas. - **Infection Control Measures**: The study on C. diff highlights the need for improved infection control measures in healthcare settings. - **Telehealth Integration**: Emerging trend in infection control, allowing remote monitoring and management of infection risks. - **In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD)**: Critical for early disease detection and monitoring, significantly impacting infection prevention strategies. - **AI Integration in Infection Control**: Emerging trends include the use of AI for improving infection control practices and enhancing patient safety. - **Sentri7**: Recognized as the top-ranked infection control solution, providing real-time data collection and automated compliance workflows for infection preventionists. - **APIC's Staffing Calculator**: An online tool designed to provide facility-specific recommendations for infection prevention staffing. - **CDC Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs**: Best practices for managing antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in healthcare settings. - **AAKP 'Every Patient Safe' Campaign**: A year-long safety awareness campaign focusing on infection prevention for kidney patients. - **AI Governance**: Health IT leaders are emphasizing the importance of AI governance and clinician training on new technologies to improve infection prevention efforts. - **Online Staffing Calculator**: Developed by APIC to provide tailored assessments for infection prevention staffing needs. - **SteraMist Technology**: Utilized by TOMI for infection prevention strategies, particularly against emerging public health threats like RSV and H5N1. - **Antimicrobial Coatings**: Increasingly adopted in healthcare settings to prevent infections by reducing microbial contamination on surfaces. - **Digital Health Solutions by Getinge**: Streamlines surgical workflows and enhances infection control measures in hospitals. - **Staffing Calculator**: A new online tool developed to help healthcare facilities determine appropriate staffing levels for infection prevention, revealing that 79.2% of hospitals surveyed had inadequate staffing. - **Technology Strategy Development**: Julie Eastman is tasked with developing a technology strategy at PeaceHealth to enhance care quality, which may include infection prevention technologies. - **Soteria Bed Barrier System**: Trinity Guardion's product designed to minimize infection risks by protecting hospital mattresses from contamination. ### Challenges and Concerns - **Workload for Infection Preventionists**: Infection preventionists face significant workloads, which can be alleviated through technology solutions that automate processes and provide real-time data. - **Staffing Levels**: Inadequate staffing in infection prevention linked to increased healthcare-associated infections. - **Staffing Shortages**: Inadequate staffing levels for infection preventionists lead to higher rates of healthcare-associated infections. - **Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)**: Despite advancements, hospitals still struggle with high rates of HAIs, necessitating improved infection prevention strategies. - **Hospital-Onset Infections**: Need for improved reporting and strategies to enhance patient safety and reduce infection rates in healthcare settings. - **Training Access Issues**: Challenges in providing adequate training for infection preventionists, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. - **Workplace Violence**: Increased focus on addressing workplace violence in healthcare settings, which can impact infection prevention efforts. - **Data Privacy**: Concerns regarding data privacy in infection surveillance solutions. - **Financial Penalties**: Mitigating financial penalties from CMS related to hospital-acquired infections is a concern that robust infection prevention staffing helps address. - **Implementation Costs**: Challenges related to the costs of implementing advanced infection prevention technologies. - **Infection Control in Nursing Homes**: Surge in norovirus cases highlights the need for reinstating infection control protocols, complicated by staffing shortages. - **Emerging Infectious Diseases**: The rise of diseases like mpox and H5N1 necessitates effective infection prevention measures to control outbreaks. - **Compliance with Infection Control Regulations**: Many nursing homes are not adhering to federal regulations regarding infection control staff. - **Compliance with Regulatory Standards**: Healthcare facilities face challenges in meeting stringent infection control regulations, especially during high-traffic periods like holidays. - **Drug-Resistant Infections**: Ongoing concerns about the rise of drug-resistant infections complicate infection control efforts. - **Compliance Issues**: An audit revealed that some nursing homes struggle with compliance due to staffing challenges and difficulties in hiring qualified infection preventionists. - **C. diff Transmission**: The study indicates hidden transmission pathways of C. diff, emphasizing the need for enhanced infection control measures. ## Related Topics [[Infection Control]]