Safe Healthcare Blog

Hosted by CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. If you have questions or comments about healthcare safety topics, please contact CDC-INFO at https://wwwn.cdc.gov/dcs/ContactUs/Form.

Healthcare Worker Vaccination is Important for Respiratory Virus Season 2024

Healthcare worker rolls up her sleeve to show bandaid after getting vaccination

Respiratory virus season is here. As a healthcare worker, you play a critical role in slowing and preventing the spread of viral respiratory infections, including flu and COVID-19. Like hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and environmental cleaning and disinfection, vaccination is a critical tool in our infection control toolbox. Getting vaccinated in combination with Read More >

Posted on by Janet Glowicz, PhD, RN, Infection Preventionist with Project Firstline in CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion1 Comment
Categories Healthcare-associated infections
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Help Promote V-safe to Vaccine Recipients

CDC is now monitoring three new vaccines through V-Safe Vaccine safety monitoring is a top priority for CDC. V-safe is one of several complementary safety systems CDC uses to closely monitor the safety of vaccines in the United States. It lets vaccine recipients self-report how they feel after receiving a vaccine. Healthcare providers can encourage patients to Read More >

Posted on by John R Su, MD, PhD, MPH, Medical Officer, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, CDC2 Comments
Categories Healthcare-associated infections
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Exploring the Microbiome as a Way to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance

Photo of Dr. Kraft in her lab coat

The gut microbiome matters for patients taking antibiotics Fecal transplants began as early as the first or second century as part of Chinese medicine. I used to joke about poop (fecal) transplants; I never thought I would dedicate my professional career to this topic. My father was an agricultural engineer who managed a wastewater treatment Read More >

Posted on by Colleen S. Kraft, MD
Categories Healthcare-associated infections
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I am a C. diff survivor. What I know now and what I want others to know.

Maryann Webb, C. diff Survivor

“This must be cancer.”  That’s what I thought when I was hospitalized for a second time in two months. One month prior, I was hospitalized with diverticulitis, which was treated with strong intravenous antibiotics. Then I found myself back in the hospital. This time, it was worse than diverticulitis. I had never been so sick Read More >

Posted on by Maryann Webb21 Comments
Categories Patient Stories and Patient Safety
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The Journey to an Infection Prevention and Control Career

Janet Glowicz getting ready for rounds.

The Journey to an Infection Prevention and Control Career In the complex world of health care, infection prevention and control (IPC) is crucial to keeping everyone safe. IPC helps protect healthcare professionals and reduces patients’ risk for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which they can get while or soon after receiving care. HAIs can lead to prolonged Read More >

Posted on by Janet Glowicz, MPH, Ph.D, RN, CIC, LTC-CIP, Morgan Kuhnly MSN, RN, CIC and Mia Frederick
Categories Healthcare-associated infections
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