Tori Whitacre Martonicz

In this podcast with ICT, Danielle Updegraff, MBA, BSN, RN, discusses real-time location systems, which can give infection prevention teams greater visibility into hand hygiene, workflow, and infectious disease exposures, but sustainable improvement still depends on staff engagement, leadership, education, and culture.

COVID-19 exposed vulnerabilities in disposable PPE supply chains. TRSA CEO Joe Ricci discusses why reusable health care textiles are gaining attention for preparedness, sustainability, cost savings, and patient and worker safety.

The Bug of the Month helps educate readers about existing and emerging pathogens that are clinically important in today's health care facilities.This month’s Bug of the Month isn’t quite like anything we’ve featured before. Can you solve the clues before the final reveal?

Malawi has made major progress against HIV among adults, but children continue to lag behind. Community health workers are helping close that gap by finding HIV-exposed infants and children who have fallen out of facility-based care.

Community health workers in Malawi are helping close pediatric HIV care gaps by tracing children who miss testing, addressing barriers to care, and connecting vulnerable families with treatment and support.

The childhood vaccine schedule is changing, but what happens when preventing disease becomes more complicated for families?Public health and infection prevention experts are raising concerns about access, missed vaccination opportunities, vaccine confidence, and what the changes could ultimately mean inside health care facilities.

“Cutting” waste shouldn't mean cutting people. At AHE Exchange26, David Green and Donald Sipp explored how EVS departments can improve performance by strengthening workplace culture, empowering employees, eliminating inefficient processes, and understanding EVS's critical role in patient throughput. One case study showed bed turnaround times falling from nearly 2 hours to less than an hour, but the larger lesson wasn't simply about speed. High-performing EVS operations begin with a strong foundation.

During an expert panel at Exchange26 on whole-room microbial reduction technologies, regulatory and health care leaders discussed the distinction between FDA and EPA oversight, what constitutes a medical device claim, the risks surrounding unauthorized or off-label claims, and why IP and EVS professionals should verify a device's regulatory status rather than relying solely on vendor presentations.

Can a UV-C robot make up for a surface that wasn't properly cleaned? Experts say that's the wrong way to think about the technology. UV-C can provide an additional layer of microbial reduction, but factors including shadows, distance, positioning, and exposure time mean it cannot replace thorough manual cleaning and disinfection.

Recent changes from CBIC involving IPUs have opened a much bigger conversation about industry, consultants, commercial bias, continuing education, and professional expertise. In a candid Contagious Conversations discussion, 4 experienced IP professionals ask whether the answer should depend on where an educator works or what that educator actually teaches. It is a conversation the IPC community may need to have sooner rather than later.