Infection Control Matters

Automated bloodstream infection surveillance - Measuring what matters?

How well do we really measure bloodstream infections and could it be routinely automated?
In this episode, Brett and Martin look at two papers on automated hospital-onset bacteraemia (HOB) surveillance, one a retrospective review in a single hospital in Berlin (Rüther et al) and a national UK study (Cregan, Oxford and UKHSA) exploring whether surveillance could move from local, manual processes to a fully automated national system, which was spectacularly accurate.
 
Ruther, F. D., M. Behnke, L. A. Pena Diaz, F. Schwab, C. Geffers and S. J. S. Aghdassi (2026). "Advancing hospital-onset bacteraemia surveillance: a five-year retrospective study following the hospital-wide implementation of an automated surveillance system at a German university hospital." Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 15(1). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13756-026-01708-9 
Cregan, J., O. Nsonwu, D. Chudasama, S. Hopkins, B. Muller-Pebody, R. Hope, C. Brown, D. W. Eyre, T. P. Quan and A. S. Walker (2026). "The potential of a centrally implemented system for national surveillance of bloodstream infections in England, compared to current local surveillance, 2023-2024." J Hosp Infect 169: 5–14. https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(25)00417-7/fulltext 

Surfaces - High touch or high risk?

In this episode, Martin and Brett talk about what is a high risk and what is a high touch surface. Are they the same? The discussion is based on the following paper:
 
Zheng et al (2025). “High-touch” surfaces are not always “high-risk” surfaces in ICU environment. Journal of hospital infection. 
https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(26)00079-4/fulltext

Do we feel that we are experts? Take two

Back in July 2022 when the world was opening up again Brett, Phil and Martin were all in Melbourne and met up for a chat. The topic was 'Are we experts', however due to incompetence (Martin) the recording was terrible and his rather poor editing skills (learnt entirely by watching YouTube videos from Mike Russell) didn't help much. Now however by using Adobe AI voice enhancement it has been possible to rescuscitate the recording, and we felt that it was worth a reissue.
 

Resourcing of hospital infection prevention and control programs

In this podcast, Phil and Brett speak with Dr Lyn-Li Lim from VICNISS (Victorian Healthcare Associated Infection Surveillance System)in Australia. Dr Lim and colleagues recently explored the infection prevention and control resourcing levels in 113 facilities, including FTE per 100 beds. This podcast explores the differences in resourcing for different categories of hospitals.
 
A link to the publication is here. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019665532500570X 

Hospital or Crime Scene? What Forensic Science Reveals About “Clean”

In this episode, Martin Kiernan talks to Dr Sarah Fieldhouse, Associate Professor of Forensic Science and Dr Emmanuel Babafemi, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences both of the University of Staffordshire, UK. We discuss a recent paper looking at hospital cleanliness. Using forensic light, the study uncovered invisible contamination on surfaces that looked clean to the naked eye. We discuss what fluorescence reveals, what ATP misses, and how this approach could reshape environmental monitoring in healthcare.
The open access paper is available here:Fieldhouse S, Bastaki BB, Ledgerton A, Clarke P, Lewis T. Assessing the effectiveness of hospital cleaning using fluorescence: a proof-of-concept study and comparison with ATP testing. J Hosp Infect 2025;166:38-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.08.008. 
https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0195-6701%2825%2900267-1 

AMR at a National level - The 2025 ESPAUR Report

In this episode, Martin talks to Dr Diane Ashiru-Oredope and colleagues at the UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) about the 2025 ESPAUR report, focusing on what the latest data mean for clinicians, infection prevention teams, and health system leaders. We explore what the latest data reveal about antimicrobial resistance and prescribing trends in England, including changes in resistance patterns among major bacterial pathogens and what this means for patient safety and clinical outcomes.
We discuss what’s improving, where challenges remain, and how infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship teams can use national surveillance data to drive meaningful local action.
You can download the report in it's entirety here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6936ac34b612700b2cb73607/ESPAUR-report-2024-to-2025.pdf
There is also a supplement and summary in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy which can be accessed here:https://academic.oup.com/jacamr/issue/8/Supplement_2
The TARGET antibiotics toolkit hub is abailable here:https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/view.php?id=553
e-Bug is available here: https://www.e-bug.eu/ 

2025 Christmas Special

This is our traditional end of year Christmas special. In this episode we consider highlights from year and have a bit of fun - including a stakeout in London.
We talk about our views on the most significant systematic review, our favourite presentation/poster, RCTs would like to see and predictions for 2026.

Unseen Reservoirs, Unseen Risks: Integrating Wastewater Surveillance with Patient-Level Insights into C. auris Spread

In this episode, Martin talks to Dr Jon Otter, Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, UK. We examine two complementary pieces of work that provide further insight into Candidozyma auris transmission in acute hospitals. The first demonstrates, for the first time in the UK, that ward-level wastewater reliably mirrors patient colonisation and can reveal genetically related outbreak strains using culture and PCR. The second, a case–control study, identifies clinical and environmental risk factors that shape colonisation, highlighting the significance of shared patient equipment.
The paper can be found here: Davidson HC, Griffin AE, Symes L, Laing KG, Witney AA, Gould K, et al. Detection of Candidozyma (formerly Candida) auris from ward wastewater during an outbreak using culture and molecular methods. J Hosp Infect 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.10.024 
A copy of the poster can be downloaded here

Can ward rounds transform IPC education?

In this episode, Martin speaks with Helen Dunn, Consultant Nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, a Children's Hospital in London, UK. Helen is the lead author of a recent study published in the Journal of Infection Prevention, exploring whether structured ward rounds can be used as an innovative method for delivering Infection Prevention and Control education directly in the clinical environment. This work implemented a bedside ward-round model with Band 6 nurses in a paediatric cardiac high-dependency unit, using a structured assessment tool to prompt real-time, patient-focused discussions. The findings highlight that this approach created frequent education opportunities, strengthened relationships between clinical teams and IPC practitioners, and reduced the number of IPC interventions required over time.
Dunn H, Blackburn P, Cloutman-Green E. Can ward rounds be used by infection prevention control teams to deliver education and enhance knowledge to clinical staff. J Infect Prev 2025;26(6):17571774251366930. https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774251366930.
Article on Schulman's Signature Pedagogies here

Reducing harm at the Front Line: Oral Care driving down C. difficile and Line Care - the Power of Better Data

In this episode, Martin spoke to the authors of two compelling posters showcased at the 2025 Infection Prevention Society Conference in Brighton, each discussing practical, data-driven approaches to reducing avoidable harm. Download the posters and have a listen to two authors with a passion for their projects.
First, Catherine Lemsalu, a Dental Nurse from the IPC Team at University Hospital Plymouth discusses her quality-improvement work on an acute stroke ward, demonstrating how structured mouth-care assessment, targeted staff education, and consistent daily oral care contributed to reductions in non-ventilated hospital-acquired pneumonia and Clostridioides difficile infections. Her poster highlights how simple, early interventions—done well—can strengthen antimicrobial stewardship, improve patient outcomes, and build ward-level capability through mouth-care champions.
We then explored the development of a national surveillance framework and digital tool for vascular access device–related bloodstream infections (VAD-BSI) with Sue Rowlands from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Their multidisciplinary initiative has created a standardised, user-friendly approach to classifying VAD-BSI, identifying risk factors, and generating automated visual outputs that support local reporting, audit, and education. Early pilot data show strong usability, enhanced insight into bloodstream infection epidemiology, and meaningful impact on line-care practice.
Posters can be downloaded here:
Reduction of hospital-acquired pneumonia and Clostridioides difficile infections through focused line care
Developing a surveillance framework and digital tool for Vascular Access Device-Related Bloodstream Infections (VAD-BSI): improving patient safety through local data and national insight