Your Infection Prevention Training Toolbox is Ready to Go

Need a quick win for your next training? These VDH Infection Prevention Power Tools are ready when you are. Use them for education days, World Hand Hygiene Day (May 5th), or quick huddles, with practical, engaging activities you can grab and go to make infection prevention stick.

What to Expect

Training Step-by-Step Guides: Ready-to-use guides that walk you through delivering engaging IP trainings from start to finish. Each includes clear instructions, materials, and tips so you can confidently lead activities like Caught Red-Handed, PPE Fashion Show, Glowing IP Education, and Creating an Educational Game.
Hands-On Learning: Interactive activities designed to get staff thinking, talking, and applying infection prevention in real time. Use tools like Rank the Risk, IP Sketch Pad, and puzzles to spark discussion, reinforce key concepts, and make learning stick.

How to use it:

Kick off World Hand Hygiene Day: Run Caught Red-Handed during shift change to quickly show missed spots and reinforce good hand hygiene technique.
Annual education days: Use PPE Fashion Show to train a large group in a fun engaging way while using a limited number of PPE supplies.
Downtime: Set up puzzles and coloring pages as a low-pressure way to reinforce key concepts like isolation precautions or transmission routes.

Target Audience: Essential IPC Education Level

Guidance & Regulation Updates

VIPTA members track guidance and regulation resources to share source documents that guide infection prevention and control practices for public health staff and clinical and non-clinical healthcare personnel.

The date of the regulation or guidance update is included in each post. Please check linked content to be sure it is the most up to date and recommended practice.

VDH: Clinician Letter – Measles Outbreak Expansion and Back-to-School Immunizations (6/26/2026)

VDH

Acute Care Hospital

Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care

Department of Health

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Pediatric / NICU

Emergency Preparedness & Operations

Vaccination

Clinician Letter: Measles Outbreak Expansion and Back-to-School Immunizations (6/26/2026) The Virginia Department of Health announced that the Buckingham County measles outbreak has expanded to Cumberland County. Review the expanded outbreak vaccination recommendations, encourage patients to stay up to date on immunizations before the school year, and immediately report suspected or confirmed measles cases to your local health department.

VDH: Clinician Letter – Public Health Updates on Measles, Ebola Preparedness, and Travel-Associated Illnesses (6/03/2026)

VDH

Acute Care Hospital

Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care

Department of Health

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Pediatric / NICU

Emergency Preparedness & Operations

Vaccination

Clinician Letter: Public Health Updates on Measles, Ebola Preparedness, and Travel-Associated Illnesses (6/03/2026) This clinician letter provides updates on rising measles activity, Ebola preparedness, and travel-associated illnesses. Protect patients and staff by maintaining a high index of suspicion, assessing travel history, following infection control guidance, ensuring vaccination coverage, and promptly reporting suspected cases to your local health department.

APIC: New Toolkit to Address Problematic Manufacturer Instructions for Use for Non‑Critical Devices (5/08/2026)

APIC

Any Practice Setting

Department of Health

Quality Improvement

Regulatory Compliance

New Toolkit to Address Problematic Manufacturer Instructions for Use for Non‑Critical Devices: This toolkit provides practical strategies and resources to help healthcare professionals address problems with manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs) for non-critical medical devices. It supports infection preventionists in safely reprocessing devices when IFUs are unclear, incomplete, or difficult to follow. *Access this resource with a free APIC account.

Bug of the Month

The infection prevention team at Ballad Health continually seeks new and creative ways to educate more than 13,500 team members across 20 hospitals on important infection prevention topics. Supporting this effort is Krista Hess, an infection preventionist at Russell County Hospital in southwest Virginia, who leads the Bug of the Month Committee.

With full creative control, the committee develops a one-page educational flyer each month that is shared by leaders, highlighted during huddles, and featured in internal communication, such as Ballad Health News. Now celebrating its two-year anniversary, Bug of the Month continues to gain momentum. October’s “Say Boo to the Flu” achieved the highest engagement yet.

Over the past two years, the Bug of the Month Committee has spotlighted topics such as C. difficile, Candida auris, hand hygiene, and environmental cleaning. Congratulations to Krista Hess and the entire Ballad Health team for championing innovative approaches that keep team members informed on vital infection prevention topics!