infection prevention
infection prevention
By Joi A. McMillon, BSN, MBA HA, CRRN, WCC, CJCP, HACP-CMS, CIC, AL-CIP
Compliance Isn’ t a Checklist: Building Infection Control Habits That Actually Stick
Culture eats compliance for breakfast.
Let’ s be honest, most healthcare facilities don’ t fail surveys because they don’ t know what to do. They fail because they don’ t practice what they know.
We’ ve all seen it: the day a surveyor walks in, suddenly everyone remembers the protocol. Logs appear, binders get dusted off, and huddles run a little tighter than usual. But compliance isn’ t built in that moment, it’ s revealed in that moment.
And that’ s the problem; by the time a surveyor arrives, it’ s too late to“ prepare.” Your culture is already showing.
As I often tell teams during my trainings,“ Compliance isn’ t a checklist. It’ s a culture.” And culture can’ t be faked. It’ s lived— in habits, conversations, and daily decisions when no one’ s watching.
When Compliance Breaks Down If your infection logs don’ t match the floor reality, if staff freeze when asked about policy, or if a hand hygiene audit looks perfect on paper but tells another story in practice— that’ s not failure of policy. It’ s failure of practice. Policies don’ t protect patients. People do. Intentions don’ t prevent infections. Habits do. So the real work of infection prevention isn’ t found in a binder or PowerPoint. It’ s in what happens in the hallways, during shift changes, at the nurses’ station, and in the breakroom when the infection preventionist isn’ t around.
That’ s why we must move from compliance-based checklists to culture-based consistency.
Why“ Zero Harm” Requires Daily Habits Building a zero-harm culture doesn’ t require burnout, blame, or budget bloat. It requires habits that actually stick.
That’ s the inspiration behind my“ Infection Control Habits That Actually Stick” framework— a practical, habit-based approach to infection prevention that leaders can start implementing tomorrow.
Each habit represents a small, sustainable action that, when reinforced consistently, transforms how teams think, act, and respond. These habits turn compliance into second nature.
Let’ s walk through them— and more importantly, why they work.
15 Infection Control Habits That Actually Stick 1. Start Every Huddle With One Infection Control Success or Red
Flag Set the tone early. Daily huddles shouldn’ t just review census or staffing— they should highlight one infection control win or one red flag. When you normalize speaking infection prevention language every day, it becomes part of your team’ s DNA. Culture begins in conversation. 2. Create a 3-Minute“ Micro-Training” for Weekly Staff Meetings Micro-learning isn’ t just trendy, it’ s transformational. Short, focused refreshers( like proper glove removal or cleaning hightouch surfaces) reinforce the right behaviors without overwhelming staff. Three minutes can save a patient, prevent a citation, and reset focus. 3. Audit Hand Hygiene Logs Weekly, Not Monthly Frequency builds familiarity. A monthly review catches patterns too late; weekly reviews catch drift before it becomes deficiency.
Plus, it communicates that hand hygiene isn’ t an afterthought— it’ s a frontline priority. 4. Plan Monthly“ Survey Dry Runs” for High-Risk Areas Treat survey readiness like fire drills. Simulate what surveyors look for in wound care rooms, isolation units, or medication prep areas. Teams that rehearse responses don’ t freeze during the real thing. 5. Align IP Goals With Leadership KPIs If infection prevention is everyone’ s responsibility, then accountability should show up on everyone’ s performance review. Tie infection metrics to leadership KPIs so that it’ s part of your organization’ s scorecard— not just your IP’ s stress load. 6. Pair Every Policy Update With a Behavior-Based Checklist Policies don’ t change practice unless you translate them into behaviors. For example: when you roll out a new wound care protocol, include a quick-check list for what staff should see, say, and do differently tomorrow. 7. Review Recent Citations or Fines in Your Region Learning from others’ mistakes is free training. Regularly review deficiency reports or public health notices in your region. Ask your team:“ Could this happen here?” Reflection turns fear into foresight. 8. Celebrate 7-, 14-, and 30-Day No-HAI Milestones Culture thrives on recognition. Don’ t wait for Infection Prevention Week to celebrate. Small wins create momentum and remind your team that prevention is personal and possible.
9. Include Your IP in Every Department Meeting— Not Just Nursing
Infection prevention isn’ t a siloed function. Dietary, maintenance, therapy, and administration all influence infection risk. Having your IP present across departments keeps prevention visible and valued. 10. Create an“ Infection Prevention Wins” Board A visible board in the breakroom or hallway where teams post wins— like“ Zero missed hand hygiene observations this week” or“ All sinks passed water temp checks”— keeps momentum visible and morale high.
11. Ask Staff Weekly:“ What Infection Control Challenge Did You Face Today?”
It’ s one of the most powerful engagement tools you have. You’ re not just collecting data— you’ re giving staff a voice. Their insights often reveal system gaps you’ d never see from your desk. 12. Schedule Quarterly Facility-Wide Refreshers Don’ t wait for outbreaks. Proactive, quarterly refreshers create muscle memory and ensure every department stays survey-ready every day. 13. Implement Peer Audits When staff audit each other( in a supportive way), accountability rises and defensiveness drops. It’ s not about“ gotchas”— it’ s about growing together.
14. Post a“ What the Surveyor Sees” Cheat Sheet Near Every Nurse Station
Perspective changes everything. These cheat sheets help staff self-correct before a deficiency appears. It’ s like walking in the surveyor’ s shoes— without the clipboard anxiety.
15. Dedicate One Afternoon a Month to Walk the Facility as If You’ re the Surveyor
The best infection preventionists don’ t wait for surveyors; they become them. Walk through your facility with fresh eyes. You’ ll be
12 • www. healthcarehygienemagazine. com • nov-dec 2025