Hospitals, Product Evaluation, Research, HAIs 2 min read. Evidence Hierarchy: From The Laboratory to Reduced HAIs Erica Mitchell December 15 2021 What happens after laboratory tests confirm that an environmental product kills bacteria? Is that the end of the line for testing a product's... Read more
Hospitals, Patient Safety 3 min read. Infection Control and Hospital Reputation Erica Mitchell October 27 2021 The word “reputation” comes from words meaning “to judge repeatedly.” This idea of forming an opinion, and reforming it over and over again as time... Read more
Hospitals, HAIs, Patient Safety, Medicare/Medicaid 2 min read. Medicare Reimbursement and Hospital-Acquired Infections: The Costly Connection Erica Mitchell September 8 2021 In an effort to reduce patient harm, Medicare continues to penalize hospitals with the highest patient safety incidents. In today's post we explore... Read more
Hospitals, Research, Handwashing, Cleaning Protocols 2 min read. The Hawthorne Effect: What happens when no one's watching? Erica Mitchell August 18 2021 In the 1920’s and 30’s, the nation was swept up in the Efficiency Movement, an effort to rid every aspect of human life of waste and unproductive... Read more
Hospitals, HAIs, Patient Safety, Special Populations 2 min read. 3 Reasons Why Patients Get Infections Erica Mitchell July 7 2021 We live in an environment teeming with microscopic organisms. They cover not only the surfaces we touch, but also our skin and even our insides. We... Read more
Hospitals, HAIs, Patient Safety 3 min read. The Most Common Sites and Types of Hospital Acquired Infections Erica Mitchell June 30 2021 We are all covered in bacteria. (You could even say we are all contaminated.) Bacteria and other microorganisms live in our gut, in our mucous... Read more
Hospitals, HAIs, Patient Safety 2 min read. Hospital Acquired Infections: Kickin' You When You're Already Down Erica Mitchell June 23 2021 Read more
Hospitals, HAIs 2 min read. The Rules of Engagement in the War Against Germs: Standard Contact Precautions Erica Mitchell June 2 2021 Last year, as healthcare workers faced shortages, the world was reminded of some of the “standard precautions” all hospitals operate under to control... Read more
Hospitals, Handwashing, Germs, Antibiotic Resistance 2 min read. Is Antibacterial Soap the Same As Regular Soap? Erica Mitchell January 13 2021 A study demonstrated that regular soap has the same impact as antibacterial soap at killing bacterial during hand washing. Today we'll explore this... Read more
Patient Advocacy, Hospitals, HAIs 2 min read. A Child Is Born: Remembering Our Tiniest Patients Erica Mitchell December 28 2020 Most babies are born healthy. Delivered in a hospital, a birthing center, a home, or even a stable, they are bundled up, fed, loved, and go on to... Read more
Hospitals, Antimicrobials 2 min read. Why are hospitals banning antimicrobials, but not copper? Erica Mitchell December 13 2020 A few years ago, the first rumblings were starting over the use, and possible overuse, of antimicrobials in interior furnishings and materials. As ... Read more
Hospitals, Germs, HAIs 2 min read. Pathogen, Persistence, and Prevalence Erica Mitchell September 16 2020 There are may different pathogens that cause HAIs. Researchers have studied which of these infectious agents tend to cause infections, how those... Read more