What if our perceptions of hand hygiene are far from reality? In this engaging episode, hosts Nicki and Jess explore the surprising gap between self-reported and observed hand hygiene practices among healthcare professionals. Joined by infectious diseases experts Dr. Prathit Kulkarni and Dr. Barbara Trautner, they delve into psychological biases, workflow challenges, and how these factors contribute to adherence discrepancies. Tune in to uncover how improving awareness and behavior can enhance infection prevention in healthcare settings!

Guests:

• Prathit Kulkarni, MD, FACP, Assistant Chief of Medicine, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center
• Barbara W. Trautner, MD, PhD, Co-Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Washington University

Article: https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(25)00700-X/fulltext

Prathit Kulkarni

Prathit Kulkarni, MD, FACP, is the Assistant Chief of Medicine at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, Texas. He also serves as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Infectious Diseases at Baylor College of Medicine and is the section’s Vice Chief of Education. Additionally, he is the Program Director for the adult Infectious Diseases fellowship training program at Baylor. Dr. Kulkarni attended Rice University for his undergraduate studies, graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry. He then attended Baylor College of Medicine for medical school, where he completed the International Health Track. Afterwards, he completed residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Baylor, during which he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He stayed an extra year after residency to serve as Chief Medical Resident in Internal Medicine. Following this, Dr. Kulkarni spent two years working at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer. After his time at CDC, he returned to Baylor to complete fellowship training in adult Infectious Diseases. From early 2020 through 2022, Dr. Kulkarni dedicated much of his time to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and helped establish the Post-Acute COVID-19 Clinic, where he currently serves as Director, at the VA hospital. For many years, he has maintained academic interests in diagnostic reasoning, medical education, urinary tract infections, infection prevention, and implementation science. To date, he has published nearly 50 peer-reviewed articles and six book chapters.

Barbara W. Trautner

Barbara W. Trautner, MD, PhD, is the Co-Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Washington University in St. Louis. She is also affiliated with the Houston VA Medical Center and the St. Louis VA Medical Center. Dr. Trautner’s work is focused on urinary tract infections and antibiotic stewardship. Dr. Trautner is passionate about animals, even very small ones (bacteria) and thus is a champion of using antibiotics only when needed.