The ICHE Podcast

Episode 69: Reducing Bloodstream Infections in Home Infusion Settings

In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. Dave Calfee sits down with Kavita Bhavan, MD, Sara Keller, MD, MPH, MSHP, Deborah Lockard, BSN, MPH, and Sara Szathmary, BSN, RN, CNRI to discuss their recent publications in ICHE. The authors discuss what current evidence tells us about CLABSI incidence in outpatient infusion populations, why surveillance data remain limited, and the unique challenges healthcare organizations face when trying to monitor and prevent infections outside the acute care setting.     Featured ICHE papers  * Hannum S, Marsteller J, Gurses AP, … Keller SC. Reducing home infusion CLABSI through a dashboard and toolkit implementation. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2026;47(5): 433-440.   * Johnson K, Alvarez KS, Jaybanks A, …Bhavan K. Rates of line associated bloodstream infections in self-administered outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy compared to standard of care: 11 years of data at a safety net hospital. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2026;47(5): 533-535     Other relevant resources: * Keller SC, Hannum SM, Weems K, et al. Implementing and validating a home-infusion central-line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance definition. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023;44:1748–1759.   * https://nhicpc.org/ [https://nhicpc.org/]

Episode 68: Multidrug-resistant organisms and Candidozyma auris insights from the SHEA Research Network

In this episode of THE ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee is joined by two authors from the April 2026 issue of ICHE to discuss current infection control practices and ongoing challenges in preventing multidrug-resistant organisms and Candidozyma auris in U.S. acute care hospitals.   During the conversation, Dr. KC Coffey and Dr. Sarah Sansom explain the rationale behind their studies, share key findings on current practices, and highlight the challenges hospitals face in their efforts to control transmission of these pathogens.   Articles discussed: * https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/current-infection-control-practices-for-multidrugresistant-organisms-mdro-a-survey-of-the-society-for-healthcare-epidemiology-of-america-shea-research-network-and-affiliated-usbased-hospitals/F6250FE7353AB4B56C4323CDC7EB7843 [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/current-infection-control-practices-for-multidrugresistant-organisms-mdro-a-survey-of-the-society-for-healthcare-epidemiology-of-america-shea-research-network-and-affiliated-usbased-hospitals/F6250FE7353AB4B56C4323CDC7EB7843]   * https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/candidozyma-auris-prevention-practices-in-the-united-states-insights-from-the-shea-research-network/681623BFF050669F472BB80F4DCB073F [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/candidozyma-auris-prevention-practices-in-the-united-states-insights-from-the-shea-research-network/681623BFF050669F472BB80F4DCB073F]

Episode 67: Reducing Infection Risk in Hemodialysis Patients

In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee speaks with Jose Navarrete, MD. of Emory University School of Medicine and Marin Schweizer, PhD. of the University of Wisconsin about infection risks among patients receiving hemodialysis, including common pathogens and factors that increase vulnerability. They discuss their recent research and share key findings, along with practical insights on how to improve infection prevention in hemodialysis settings.   https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/trends-of-bloodstream-infection-incidence-rates-among-patients-on-outpatient-hemodialysis-national-healthcare-safety-network-20122021/3DC9CCED04161F16F274F12919DC3F7C [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/trends-of-bloodstream-infection-incidence-rates-among-patients-on-outpatient-hemodialysis-national-healthcare-safety-network-20122021/3DC9CCED04161F16F274F12919DC3F7C]   https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/abs/survey-of-hemodialysis-patients-knowledge-of-their-infection-risk-and-acceptability-of-an-intranasal-decolonization-intervention/EA68F7DAB1D54174D633E1DE5EE38136 [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/abs/survey-of-hemodialysis-patients-knowledge-of-their-infection-risk-and-acceptability-of-an-intranasal-decolonization-intervention/EA68F7DAB1D54174D633E1DE5EE38136]

Episode 66: Bacterial Contamination of Sink Drains in Healthcare Facilities

In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee speaks with Bobby Warren of Duke University Medical Center and Ibrahim Ahmed El-Imam of the University of Maryland School of Medicine about their recent publications examining sink drain contamination as a reservoir for gram-negative bacteria and other healthcare-associated pathogens.   "Evaluation of hydrogen peroxide-based foam disinfection for reducing gram-negative bacterial contamination in hospital sinks": https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/evaluation-of-hydrogen-peroxidebased-foam-disinfection-for-reducing-gramnegative-bacterial-contamination-in-hospital-sinks/83B2F0FFD71D28FEE9C25311F2F6D82B [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/evaluation-of-hydrogen-peroxidebased-foam-disinfection-for-reducing-gramnegative-bacterial-contamination-in-hospital-sinks/83B2F0FFD71D28FEE9C25311F2F6D82B]    "Efficacy of a foamed disinfectant in reducing pathogen contamination in renovated inpatient in-room sinks: a randomized controlled trial": https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/efficacy-of-a-foamed-disinfectant-in-reducing-pathogen-contamination-in-renovated-inpatient-inroom-sinks-a-randomized-controlled-trial/8BF1DC52E1B37AA2D186C41EF0EAA86C [https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/infection-control-and-hospital-epidemiology/article/efficacy-of-a-foamed-disinfectant-in-reducing-pathogen-contamination-in-renovated-inpatient-inroom-sinks-a-randomized-controlled-trial/8BF1DC52E1B37AA2D186C41EF0EAA86C]

Episode 65: Understanding the Association Between Routine Oral Care and In-Hospital Mobility with Non-Ventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia

In this episode of The ICHE Podcast, host Dr. David Calfee explores non–ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP)—what it is, how common it is, and why it matters for patient outcomes.   He is joined by Dr. Barbara Jones (University of Utah) and Dr. Sheryl Kluberg (Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School) to discuss key risk factors for NV-HAP and how preventable it may be. The conversation highlights practical prevention strategies, including the role of routine oral care and patient mobility.   Dr. Jones shares insights from her ICHE study evaluating the impact of an oral care initiative using electronic clinical data and diagnostic coding, while Dr. Kluberg discusses her research on the associations between oral care, in-hospital mobility, and NV-HAP. Together, they break down the study questions, methods, key findings, and real-world implications for infection prevention efforts.   This episode offers a concise, evidence-based look at how everyday care practices can help reduce the burden of NV-HAP in hospitalized patients.   Links: * Jones, Barbara E., Alec B. Chapman, Jian Ying, McKenna R. Nevers, Shannon Munro, Michael Klompas, Amy L. Valderrama, and Daniel O. Scharfstein. “Evaluating the Impact of an Oral Care Initiative on the Risk of Non-Ventilator-Associated Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Using Electronic Clinical Data and Diagnostic Coding Surveillance Criteria.” Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 46, no. 12 (2025): 1190–98. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2025.54 [https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2025.54].    * Kluberg, Sheryl A., Tom Chen, Rui Wang, Robert Jin, Laura DelloStritto, Dian Baker, Karen Giuliano, et al. “Associations between Routine Oral Care and In-Hospital Mobility with Non-Ventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia.” Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology 46, no. 12 (2025): 1181–89. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2025.10245 [https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2025.10245].