Hand hygiene remains one of the most important — and powerful — actions we can take to protect patients and ourselves. This year, in honor of World Hand Hygiene Day on Monday, May 5, 2025, we’re inviting you to chart a course for cleaner hands — and a healthier galaxy — with some stellar tools. 

• 2025 NHSN Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) Updates for the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program: As noted in the CMS FY 2025 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System/Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System final rule (89 FR 69600 through 69605), for the 2025 Electronic Health Record reporting period, the AUR Surveillance measure has been split into two measures: Antimicrobial Use (AU) Surveillance and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Surveillance. The NHSN AUR Team has updated its resources to reflect this change and address common questions.
  • CMS Operational Guidance for Acute Care Hospitals to Report AUR Data
  • FAQs: AUR Reporting for the CMS Promoting Interoperability Program
  • NHSN AUR Promoting Interoperability Guidance

This month, we are featuring the UVA Health Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) team and their Bug Busters program!

Attending the IP Roadshow with Ginger Vanhoozer from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) inspired Julianna Felsher, Jim Hovanec, Ann Sidebottom, and Fati Craighead to bring fun infection prevention and control education to acute care at UVA Health University Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In August 2024, the IP&C team launched a mobile poster board initiative to deliver timely, engaging education across units. The cart (with candy, of course!) features rotating content on key topics like catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), and other relevant infection prevention efforts. Each section is updated monthly, with educational materials attached via Velcro® for easy customization. The team spends about 30 minutes per unit, giving staff the flexibility to engage around their clinical duties. Creative themes--such as December's festive "Grinch Busters"--help draw attention and boost participation. 

Bug Busters has been very well received by the staff who have commented on how much they love the colorfulness of the board, the informal setting, and of course, the candy! The casual nature of education encourages staff to ask questions that they may not have realized they even had. They have even had departments such as wound care ask how they can create their own education programs just like this one.

Thank you to the UVA Health IP&C team for sharing your program with us and helping our readers find creative ways to bring education to the masses!