Infection Control Matters

Brett Mitchell
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Medicine
  • Biweekly

We are a group of professionals who work in the field of infectious disease and infection prevention and control. In this podcast series, we discuss new research and issues on the topic of infection prevention and control. We will pick new papers of interest and will discuss them, often with an author of the paper who can give us some insights into the research that go beyond the written paper. We are unfunded and do not accept solicitations from companies or marketeers. Authors will include nurses, doctors, academics, clinicians, administrators and leaders. We should stress that all of our comments relate to our own opinions and that they do not necessarily reflect those institutions and employers that we relate to. We welcome comment, suggestions and ideas. Please consider subscribing for updates and to find collections of topic specific podcasts at www.infectioncontrolmatters.com

  1. 1d ago

    Trust Your Instincts? Wound Dressings, Airborne Microbes and Infection Prevention

    Can something as routine as removing a wound dressing release microorganisms into the surrounding air? In this episode of Infection Control Matters, Martin and Brett explore a paper by Mellon and colleagues, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, investigating airborne microbial contamination during wound care in a burns intensive care unit. Using conventional microbiological methods alongside shotgun metagenomic sequencing, the researchers examined air and skin samples over three days from a patient with extensive burns covering 70% of their total body surface area. The findings are fascinating. HSV-1 DNA was detected in airborne samples during days when wound care and dressing removal took place. Bacterial diversity and antimicrobial resistance genes were also more prevalent during periods of wound care. Does this support the traditional nursing wisdom of being careful about when and where we undertake wound dressing changes? Could disturbing wounds and dressings contribute to environmental contamination and potential cross-transmission? And should we be thinking more carefully about ventilation, portable HEPA filtration and the timing of wound care? Paper we discuss: Mellon G, Mahjoub N, Dudoignon E, Depret F, Gabassi A, Osinski N, et al. Assessment of air infectious contamination during wound care in a burn intensive care unit using shotgun metagenomics. Am J Infect Control 2025;53(11):1144–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2025.08.003.  Don't forget that all episodes are available on our website www.infectioncontrolmatters.com, where you can also find curated collectons of podcasts by theme.

  2. Oct 21

    The Beautiful Game of Infection Prevention: Can leadership lessons from the world of soccer help?

    The central theme of this episode is that some of the most valuable lessons in healthcare leadership can be found on the football pitch. Drawing on his paper, Pitch Perfect: Healthcare Leadership Lessons from Lionel Messi and the World Cup, infectious diseases physician and healthcare epidemiologist Professor Gonzalo Bearman joins Martin Kiernan to explore what the beautiful game can teach us about leading infection prevention and control teams. From Lionel Messi’s ability to conserve energy, read the game and deliver at the right moment, to Pep Guardiola’s philosophy that great leaders make others better, we discuss how to nurture talent, prevent burnout, build cohesive multidisciplinary teams and create an environment where everyone feels able to contribute. The conversation also explores the importance of listening, learning from failure, making difficult decisions and knowing when to challenge the status quo. Should healthcare leaders play it safe, or have the courage to innovate and play to win? Whether you lead an infection prevention service, work in healthcare epidemiology or are interested in developing your leadership skills, this episode offers a fresh perspective on teamwork, resilience and getting the best out of people. Because great leadership isn’t about being the star player. It’s about making the whole team better.   Link to the paper we discuss: Bearman G. Pitch perfect: healthcare leadership lessons from Lionel Messi and the World Cup. Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology 2026;6(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/ash.2026.10901.

  3. Oct 8

    Cleaning is Patient Safety: Empowering the People Who Keep Hospitals Safe

    In this episode, Martin Kiernan talks with Dr Alexandra Peters, President of Clean Hospitals, ahead of the annual Clean Hospitals Day on 20 October. They discuss this year’s theme of empowerment—why environmental services staff should be recognised as frontline healthcare workers, and why training, professionalisation and giving them a voice matter for patient safety. Alexandra describes how training, certification and career progression are used to professionalise environmental services in Switzerland, and why giving staff knowledge isn't enough if they aren't also given a voice. The conversation asks a fundamental question: should an environmental services worker have the authority to say that a room isn't yet safe for the next patient—even when operational pressures say otherwise? Alexandra also explains how you can get involved in Clean Hospitals Day 2026, with free campaign resources available in 22 languages. Clean Hospitals Website: www.cleanhospitals.com Direct link to the promotional materials here: https://cleanhospitals.com/promotional-toolkit-2026/  Peters A, Mocenic M, Brois P, Rioja E, Mitchell BG, Dancer SJ, et al. Clean hospitals day 2026: empowerment of environmental services staff. Journal of Hospital Infection 2026;176:201–3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2026.09.015.  Direct link to the paper: https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-6701(26)00373-7/pdf

  4. Sep 24

    Evidence or Efficiency? How We Make IPC Decisions

    In this episode, Phil Russo and Brett Mitchell are joined by Dr Shalini Elangovan from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore to discuss her global study exploring how IPC professionals make decisions. Using a discrete choice experiment, Shalini and colleagues examined the trade-offs people make between clinical evidence, cost-effectiveness, implementation time and the additional workload an intervention creates. What actually makes an IPC professional say “yes” to an intervention? The study found that cost-effectiveness was the most important attribute overall, but also identified striking differences between “evidence seekers” and “efficiency seekers,” particularly between respondents from lower/middle- and high-income countries. This suggests that the setting in which you work may influence what you value when deciding whether an IPC intervention is worth implementing. Link to the paper is here: Elangovan S, Senanayake S, Venkatachalam I, Ling ML, Graves N, Kularatna S. Preferences for Infection Prevention in Hospital-Acquired Infections. JAMA Netw Open 2026;9(4):e267432. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.7432.  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2847770

  5. Sep 9

    RCTs in Infection Prevention and Control - Are we getting the evidence that we need?

    In this episode of Infection Control Matters, Martin Kiernan talks to Brett Mitchell about a new review of RCTs in IPC over the past two decades. The review identified 239 trials, with a striking increase in recent years—but the research is concentrated in a relatively small number of areas. We also explore a much bigger issue: what happens to new evidence once it has been published? If guidelines remain unchanged while new RCTs accumulate, are we really translating research into practice? We discuss what is driving this growth, where the important evidence gaps remain, and whether IPC guidelines are keeping pace with the emerging evidence. Could living guidelines be part of the answer? Paper we discuss: Mitchell BG, Matterson G, Carroll MR, Donnelly H, Marimuthu K, Tehan PE. Global randomised controlled trials in infection prevention and control: a bibliographic review from the past two decades. J Hosp Infect 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2026.03.037.  Direct download link: https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0195-6701%2826%2900129-5  Another paper that we mention on the effect of delays in implementation: Reagan KA, Chan DM, Vanhoozer G, Pryor RJ, Doll ME, Godbout EJ, et al. Resistors and constipators: Financial impact in an academic medical center, a mathematical model. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022;43(4):533–5. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2021.34.

  6. Aug 26

    Who Do You Listen To? The Hidden Influencers of Hand Hygiene

    In this episode, Brett and Martin discuss a cluster RCT from the Journal of Hospital Infection that took a very different approach. The researchers used social network analysis to identify the people operating room nurses naturally turned to for advice and support. Six of these informal influencers were then trained as peer champions—not as auditors or compliance police, but as positive role models who could encourage better practice through their existing relationships.  Over 12 months, hand hygiene compliance increased from 41.8% to 79.2% in the intervention group, compared with an increase from 42.6% to 59.3% with standard education. The study also reported improvements in knowledge and team climate. But there is plenty to debate. Can we really attribute the reported reduction in surgical site infections to the intervention? And could we use the same idea to influence other IPC behaviours—perhaps getting the right people to model cleaning shared equipment, PPE use or other everyday safety behaviours?   Link to the paper is here: Ye L, Jia X, Zhengyuan C, Dan Y, Jinjing Z, Nana W. Social network analysis-informed peer champions for hand hygiene in the operating room: a cluster randomised controlled trial. J Hosp Infect 2026;171:113–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2026.03.003  The other paper we mention is here: Seto WH, Ching TY, Yuen KY, Chu YB, Seto WL. The enhancement of infection control in-service education by ward opinion leaders. Am J Infect Control 1991;19(2):86–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/0196-6553(91)90044-d.

  7. Aug 12

    C. difficile: Follow the Faeces

    In this episode of Infection Control Matters, Brett and Martin talk to Professor Tom Riley about why we need to look well beyond the hospital to understand where Clostridioides difficile comes from. Tom discusses the growing importance of C. difficile as a community-acquired infection and explains how antimicrobial use in agriculture, animals, animal faeces, food and the environment may all form part of the transmission pathway. We explore some findings from his research, including C. difficile contamination of potatoes and domestic kitchens. We also discuss the challenges of controlling highly persistent spores in the environment, the potential role of foodborne transmission, and Tom's recent involvement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, where genomic evidence from an onion-associated outbreak provided compelling evidence for foodborne transmission. From animal antibiotics and manure to potatoes, kitchen sinks and the wider environment, this conversation challenges us to rethink where C. difficile comes from—and where infection prevention needs to look next. Perhaps the most important message? To understand C. difficile, we need to follow the faeces. Access the UN FAO report on toxigenic Clostridia in food here: https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/cce3d2ab-e8d7-4ab2-a349-dacba4eda392

  8. Jul 29

    WISDOM: Using AI to Prioritise Surgical Wound Review

    Artificial intelligence has enormous potential in healthcare, but where can it genuinely improve infection prevention without replacing clinical judgement? In this episode, Phil Russo and Martin Kiernan are joined by Professor Judith Tanner (University of Nottingham) and Melissa Rochon (Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust) to discuss a recent paper about the WISDOM study, a randomised feasibility trial evaluating AI-assisted digital surveillance for surgical wounds after hospital discharge. Following on from a previous podcast in which patients submit wound photographs from home (https://infectioncontrolmatters.podbean.com/e/surgical-site-infection-surveillance-by-patient-generated-images/), this paper describes how AI can prioritise images that need urgent clinical review, and why this approach could transform surgical site infection surveillance while reducing unnecessary hospital visits. The guests discuss developing an AI model from almost 40,000 wound images, ensuring equitable performance across different skin tones, patient acceptance of digital follow-up, workforce redesign, and how remote monitoring could evolve into supported self-care. Rather than replacing clinicians, AI is shown to be a practical tool for helping healthcare teams focus on the patients who need them most. Rochon M, Tanner J, Cariaga K, Jurkiewicz J, Beckhelling J, Harris R, et al. AI-enabled digital wound monitoring after cardiac surgery: a randomised controlled feasibility, safety, and acceptability trial. J Hosp Infect 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2026.04.020.  https://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0195-6701%2826%2900159-3

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About

We are a group of professionals who work in the field of infectious disease and infection prevention and control. In this podcast series, we discuss new research and issues on the topic of infection prevention and control. We will pick new papers of interest and will discuss them, often with an author of the paper who can give us some insights into the research that go beyond the written paper. We are unfunded and do not accept solicitations from companies or marketeers. Authors will include nurses, doctors, academics, clinicians, administrators and leaders. We should stress that all of our comments relate to our own opinions and that they do not necessarily reflect those institutions and employers that we relate to. We welcome comment, suggestions and ideas. Please consider subscribing for updates and to find collections of topic specific podcasts at www.infectioncontrolmatters.com

Information

  • Creator
    Brett Mitchell
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    194
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Infection Control Matters

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