Study: minimizing door openings during surgery lowers surgical site infection rate. One hospital reduced its infection rate by decreasing foot traffic in and out of the ORs.

How we've (nearly) eliminated flashing. The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai went from flashing nearly half of its instruments to hardly any.

Beating back bacterial biofilms. Tips to prevent the growth of the slimy coating that lets bacteria survive and thrive.

The whole truth about whole-room disinfection. Automated antimicrobial devices reach the corners and crevices that sprays and wipes sometimes miss.

Hospitals will likely soon be required to have antibiotic-stewardship programs. Antibiotic-resistant organisms are a growing threat, says CMS.

Are your flexible endoscopes really clean? 5 reprocessing recommendations.

Thinking of buying ... rigid sterilization containers? An open-and-shut case for bypassing blue wrap

Where to focus your infection prevention efforts. Make these key areas of focus a priority.

Infection Prevention: Can anesthesia providers spread infection? Absolutely yes -- pay attention to what goes on at the head of the table.

Potential doomsday mcr-1 gene found in first U.S. patient. The mutant gene resists all known antibiotics and can easily be passed between bacteria.

In Uganda, a vivid illustration of how the basics dramatically reduce SSIs. World Health Organization program helps hospital cut its rate in half.

Take the bundled approach to infection control. Standardized protocols optimize efforts to prevent SSIs.

Standardize your skin prep practices. Get patients, surgeons and staff on board with your pre-op bathing, hair-clipping and skin-antisepsis protocols.

The new standard in endoscope reprocessing. A new national guideline offers clear advice for proper high-level disinfection.

Making sure it's sterile. Sterilization assurance confirms what you can't see.

5 tips for better instrument decontamination. Removing variables and automating the process are the keys to better cleaning.

Burning platforms, coordinated care and SSI prevention. Q&A with Zeev Kain, MD, PhD, anesthesiologist and perioperative surgical home proponent.

Look beneath the surface. Take an in-depth look at how you disinfect your clinical environment.

The link between warming and wound infections. The latest evidence shows that hypothermia during surgery is associated with greater infection risk.

Failing grades in hand hygiene and injection safety. Hand hygiene, safe-injection practices sorely lacking at outpatient facilities. Study finds high failure rates in both areas.