Episode 12 (Part 3): COVID-19 Lessons Learned – What Must Change

In Part 3 of this COVID-19 Lessons Learned series, Wayne Tucker explores the deeper, long-term implications of the pandemic and what healthcare systems must change to be better prepared moving forward.

This episode discusses:
• System-wide gaps revealed during COVID-19 across Canada
• Infection prevention capacity and readiness
• Workforce burnout, leadership, and accountability
• New healthcare construction and the critical role that infection control plays right from the start at the design stage

• Lessons that still apply across long-term care and acute care• Why meaningful change cannot be delayed

This conversation is intended for infection preventionists, infection control leads and managers, healthcare leaders, frontline staff, policymakers, and quality professionals committed to improving patient and resident safety.

🎙️ Infection Control Exchange Podcast
📍 Canada | Global perspectives

The holiday season brings increased risk for outbreaks across healthcare settings — especially in long-term care and acute care environments that never close.

In this special Christmas episode of the Infection Control Exchange Podcast, we focus on practical, frontline-informed strategies to help healthcare teams reduce outbreak risk during the holidays. From staffing challenges and increased visitors to environmental cleaning, hand hygiene, and early symptom recognition, this episode highlights what truly matters when systems are under pressure.

Whether you work in infection prevention, environmental services, nursing, leadership, or frontline care, this episode is a timely reminder that infection prevention and control don’t take a holiday.

🎧 Topics include:
• Holiday-related outbreak risks
• Practical prevention strategies
• Long-term care and acute care considerations
• The role of frontline teams during peak pressure periods

Episode 11 - COVID-19 Lessons Learned (Part 2 of 3) : LTC on the Front Lines

Part 2 of the COVID-19 Lessons Learned series explores the real-world operational challenges faced by infection prevention and control teams during the pandemic.

This episode focuses on how system design, workforce decisions, and shared responsibility affected outbreak management — particularly in long-term care. Topics include the importance of embedding infection control into new construction, the responsibilities that come with working in environments serving vulnerable populations, and the critical role of both staff and families in preventing transmission.

Key discussion areas include:

• Staffing issues: burnout, lack of staff capacity during surges, for example, outbreaks, pandemics, etc
• Downside of having additional external oversight and internal organizational processes: less time for the IPAC manager to be on the floor due to the tasks that need to be completed for an outbreak or multiple outbreaks.

• Infection prevention considerations in healthcare facility design

• Workforce responsibility in caring for vulnerable populations

• The importance of not attending work when symptomatic

• The role families play in protecting residents by delaying visits when they are unwell

This episode builds on Part 1 and sets the stage for Part 3, which will examine long-term change, resilience, and future preparedness.

COVID-19, Infection Prevention, IPAC, Pandemic Preparedness, Long-Term Care, Outbreak Management, Patient Safety, Healthcare Leadership, Public Health, Healthcare Systems,Lessons Learned

COVID-19 Lessons Learned (Part 1 of 3): System Preparedness — What the Pandemic Exposed

In this episode, we begin a three-part exploration into what COVID-19 taught us about pandemic preparedness across long-term care, acute care, and the wider healthcare system. This series focuses on practical insights grounded in real experiences — not headlines — highlighting what frontline IPAC teams actually faced throughout the pandemic.

In Part 1, we discuss:

- Uneven preparedness across provinces and territories

- PPE shortages and supply chain fragility

- Human factors: communication, staffing, and training - Outbreak challenges in long-term care

- Importance of Pandemic and LTC planning

- Improvements since 2020

- Key gaps that still need attention before the next public-health emergency

This episode sets the foundation for Parts 2 and 3, which will explore specific themes in greater depth.

Follow the Infection Control Exchange Podcast for upcoming episodes in the COVID-19 Lessons Learned Series.

Bonus Episode – Colour-Changing Hand Sanitizer Concept

In this episode, host Wayne Tucker (MSc, EMBA, CIC, LTC-CIP) walks through the early development of a new colour-changing hand sanitizer designed to make hand hygiene more visible, teachable, and reliable in real-world settings.

Instead of focusing on dispensers or hardware, this product concept centers on what happens after the sanitizer is applied. The formulation temporarily changes colour on the hands, helping the user see which areas were well covered — and which were missed. This has potential applications in staff education, resident and patient engagement, audits, and real-time feedback on hand hygiene technique.

Wayne discusses:
• The problem of “invisible” hand hygiene and risks associated with missed areas (current frontline practice)
• How a colour-changing sanitizer could support training and daily frontline practice
• Potential use in any healthcare setting, including long-term care and acute care.

• Product development has global implications that could significantly transform the hand sanitizer industry.

• Early considerations for formulation, safety, and usability
• Next steps in moving this concept toward testing and development are support through partnerships and collaborations. Need to create a prototype that can be tested in the field at a limited number of healthcare settings.

This short episode provides a focused look at one hand hygiene innovation and the thinking behind turning a simple idea into a practical infection-prevention tool that can significantly reduce the transmission of infectious diseases by showing staff the areas they miss when applying hand sanitizer.

• Hand Hygiene

• Infection Prevention

  Infection Control

  IPAC

  Healthcare innovation

• Product development

  Infection Control Exchange

Hand Sanitizer

Episode 9 — The Importance of a Point of Care Risk Assessment (PCRA)

A Point of Care Risk Assessment, or PCRA, is any interaction with a resident or patient in which healthcare workers make rapid decisions throughout their shift to reduce their risk of exposure:

• What is the risk of exposure?

• What PPE is required?

• Is this the right environment for this task?

• What precautions are needed based on what I see, hear, and know?

In this episode, I walk through the purpose of a PCRA, why it’s distinct from Routine Practices and Additional Precautions, and how frontline staff use PCRA as a real-time safety tool to protect residents, patients, and themselves.

We’ll cover:

✔ What a PCRA is and why it matters

✔ How frontline staff use PCRA thinking before every interaction

✔ The difference between PCRA and Routine Practices

✔ Practical examples from acute care, LTC, and community

✔ How PCRAs support safe workflows and reduce preventable exposures

This is a foundational concept in IPAC — and when done consistently, it strengthens safety culture, reduces transmission risk, and improves decision-making at every point of care.

Healthcare teams need PPE systems that adapt to real-world needs—not rigid designs that never fit the environment. After 23 years in infection control and healthcare leadership, I’ve seen the same challenges repeated across LTC, acute care, and community settings.

To solve this, I’m building a modular, configurable PPE storage system—a “LEGO-style” approach that allows gloves, masks, gowns, wipes, face shields, and other components to be rearranged, removed, added, or replaced in seconds.

The next step is developing a full CAD-engineered, 3D-printed prototype.

To make this possible, I’m seeking:

1️⃣ Engineering or Capstone Teams

– Schools of engineering, design, CAD, product development

– Looking for a meaningful, real-world innovation project

2️⃣ Sponsors & Industry Partners

- GOJO, Diversey/Solenis, Virox, Medline, Clorox Healthcare, Sani Marc, Cardinal Health, 3M, Ecolab, and others

– Funding or material support for prototype development

3️⃣ Healthcare Pilot Sites

- Extendicare, Shannex, Revera, Northwood, Bayshore, Nova Scotia Health, Horizon, Acute Care & LTC partners

– For real-world testing and workflow validation

If your organization is interested in collaborating, sponsoring, or piloting this modular PPE system, I’d be happy to connect.

📩 Contact:

Wayne Tucker, MSc, EMBA, CIC, LTC-CIP

Founder – Infection Control Exchange Ecosystem

tuckerwayne100@gmail.com

Let’s build infection-control tools that actually work for healthcare teams.

Episode 8 – Who I Am & How I Support Healthcare Organizations

In this special episode of The Infection Control Exchange, I take a step back from the technical topics and share more about my background, my journey in infection prevention, and the hands-on support I provide across long-term care, acute care, and community settings.

In this episode, I discuss:

• My education, credentials, and professional experience

• How I approach IPAC challenges in real-world environments

• Guiding teams through inspections, audits, and compliance work

• Lessons learned from outbreaks and complex cases

• Supporting frontline teams, leaders, and quality programs

• Why I design practical tools, workflows, and educational products

• The purpose and vision behind The Infection Control Exchange Ecosystem

If you’re considering IPAC consulting, leadership support, outbreak assistance, or practical problem-solving for your organization, this episode is the best introduction to how I can help.

🎙 Hosted by: Wayne Tucker (MSc, EMBA, CIC, LTC-CIP)