American Journal of Infection Control

Over 85% of human antibiotic use worldwide occurs in outpatient settings including emergency departments (ED)s and urgent acre clinics (UCC)s.1 The most common diagnoses leading to outpatient antibiotic prescriptions are undoubtedly acute respiratory

Preventable patient harm is an epidemic in the United States—a projected 200,000-400,000 Americans experience premature death due to medical error each year.1 Hospitalized children are no less vulnerable, with an estimated adverse event rate in

Hand hygiene is considered an important measure to prevent the transmission of pathogens in health care facilities,1 and it is proven that improving hand hygiene compliance significantly reduces health care-acquired infections.2-4 Accordingly, hand

Frequent hand hygiene is one of the steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help prevent illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the general public, the recommendation is to use soap and water and, if water is

The worldwide emergence of carbapenem-resistance is a growing concern, particularly among Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates.1 This microorganism display a large arsenal of resistance mechanisms which can contribute for the carbapenem-resistance

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is an anaerobic, spore-forming bacterium that is responsible for various C. difficile infections (CDI) including infectious diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis, and toxic megacolon, which can lead to bowel

Despite government incentives to reduce 30-day hospital readmissions, emergency readmissions are increasing.1 Infection-related conditions remain the most common reason for both initial admission and readmission within 30 days of initial discharge

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is an emerging pathogen that is spreading worldwide. It is primarily transmitted by respiratory droplets and by direct and indirect contact; however, airborne transmission can also occur in the context

Environmental surfaces in the hospital have long been identified as a reservoir for pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, and Clostridiodes difficile. Although previous studies suggested a

In the context of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the pandemic of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in the United States (US), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the