|
UPCOMING WEBINAR OPPORTUNITIES
|
|
Construction Safety: Infection Prevention Measures that Promote Resident Safety
Do you have construction planned at your facility? Hospitals and other healthcare facilities use Infection Control Risk Assessments (ICRA) as a tool for identifying and controlling construction-related hazards that could impact residents. This 1-hour webinar will explain what an ICRA is, why an ICRA is important, what the contents of an ICRA are, and how the ICRA process can be adapted to construction projects at Assisted Living Facilities. The webinar will be presented by Becky Doe, an Industrial Hygienist and Infection Preventionist with over ten years of experience addressing construction safety in healthcare facilities.
November 29th 10:00 AM PST | Register here
November 30th, 10:00 AM PST | Register here
Antibiotic Stewardship Webinar
Join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy on November 16th, 3 PM ET for a webinar, 4 Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making in Critical Access Hospitals. Featured speakers will be Drs. Sara Cosgrove and Pranita Tamma from Johns Hopkins. Continuating education for pharmacists, nurses and physicians is pending.
November 16th, 3:00 PM ET | Register at this link.
|
Immunizing Adults Against Vaccine-Preventable Diseases: A Focus on Pneumonia
Join Comagine Health for a Monthly Immunization Learning Event (MILE) featuring Dr. Michael Dutro, vaccines medical director at Pfizer Biopharma North America. The 30-minute November session will focus on pneumococcal disease and prevention.
Thursday November 17th 10:00 AM PST | Register here
APIC & IFIC Fireside Chat | United for IPC
The COVID-19 pandemic brought much attention to Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) programs around the globe. Recently, the World Health Assembly (WHA) passed a monumental resolution concerning IPC programs, and as current IPC experts, we will find ourselves in a position of needing to participate in a meaningful way. Dr. Allegranzi, from the WHO’s IPC Hub will present an overview of the report from WHO on IPC, as well as the future directions for IPC. The role of the Global Infection Prevention and Control Network (GIPCN) will also be discussed as being instrumental in achieving global IPC goals in the future.
Friday, November 18th, 10:00 AM ET | Learn more
Decreasing Device Related Infections: Nurse Role
In this engaging session, attendees will be able to verbalize the role of the Infection Preventionist in identifying the need for performance improvement and intervention implementation. The webinar will also cover the potential positive responses and barriers for the role of Epidemiology Nurses.
Thursday, December 1st, 1:00 PM ET | Sign up here
|
|
U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW)
Please join us in observing USAAW during November 18-24, 2022. USAAW is a call to action to protect antibiotics so that they remain effective when needed to fight bacterial infections in people and animals. As you prepare for the week, we encourage you to utilize the USAAW Be Antibiotics Aware Partner toolkit, which contains key messages, social media content, graphics, and more. We encourage you to share this toolkit widely with your organization and partners to help raise awareness of the observance week. Below are some new and updated resources that your organization can also share and promote:
|
COVID-19
The Washington State Department of Health's (WA DOH's) webpage provides resources for healthcare facilities, including acute care hospitals, long-term care, residential care facilities, and other settings where healthcare is being administered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the vulnerable nature of patients, the risk of exposure to healthcare workers, and the congregate nature of long-term care facilities, guidance for healthcare settings is often different from that of the general public. Visit the DOH Infection Prevention page and the Washington State Coronavirus Response page for more information.
The CDC’s What’s New & Updated tool is a helpful way to stay up to date with new and updated content on CDC’s COVID-19 webpages. Users can filter by date, webpage type, audience, and topic.
|
|
|
EBOLA
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Guidance: Current CDC infection prevention and control guidance for U.S. healthcare facilities is available on the CDC Ebola website for clinicians. Specific guidance and tools to consider:
|
Healthcare facilities and public health officials should be familiar with the tiered U.S. Regional Treatment Network for Ebola and other special pathogens. The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) maintains online resources and is available to provide consultation to hospitals for managing patients with EVD.
CDC is working with health departments and other partners to enhance awareness of processes and practices that would be used in the event of suspected or actual introduction of Sudan ebolavirus into the U.S.
MPV - MONKEYPOX
|
|
Project Firstline is a nationwide project supported by the CDC and the Washington State Department of Health to provide frontline healthcare workers with infection prevention and control education.
Become an Infection Control Superhero with Washington Project Firstline
|
|
|
|
Washington Project Firstline is excited to announce a new series of training modules for professionals working in long-term care facilities. These online, interactive modules will train and prepare long-term care workers to become infection control superheroes who can reduce the spread of disease at work and home.
|
|
|
|
We encourage you to print the attached flyer and post it in your breakroom for your staff.
Washington Project Firstline Promotional Flyer.pdf
The six modules focus on the following:
- Infection Control
- How Germs Can Spread on Surfaces
- How Germs Can Spread via Respiratory Droplets
|
- Proper Hand Hygiene
- Proper Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Cleaning and Disinfection
|
The modules are educational, informative and fun, and take approximately 20-minutes each to complete. Staff who complete all six modules will earn continuing education credits for two contact-hours through the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services and a two contact-hour CNE certificate through Continuing Nursing Education at the University of Washington School of Nursing.
The first two modules are available now at firstline.nwcphp.org. Additional modules will be released over the next three months.
|
|
The Project Firstline Podcast, hosted by the Washington State Department of Health, is geared toward frontline healthcare workers to bring awareness to infection prevention and public health practices. We identify the importance and impact of infection prevention on our lives and on the lives of our community. |
|
TOPIC: Respiratory Protection
The DOH Occupational Health Team is hosting monthly 30-minute, Lunch & Learn sessions on specific respiratory protection topics. Sessions start promptly at 12:05 PM. Bring your topic questions to the session or email them ahead of time to HAI-FitTest@doh.wa.gov.
- November 16 – Respirator Job Accommodations
- December 21 – Recordkeeping
- January 18, 2023 – Fit Testing Tips
For more information contact Stella Daniels, Occupational Health Team Supervisor.
|
|
National Healthcare Safety Network |
|
Quarterly NHSN Workgroup
Please contact Sandy Ng for an invitation
All sessions are from 10:00 - 11:30 AM
January 10, 2023
April 11, 2023
July 11, 2023
October 10, 2023
|
|
4 Actions Healthcare Leaders Can Take to Prepare for Future Outbreaks
This article describes four recommendations for healthcare leaders as they consider preparing for future outbreaks: ensuring emergency response plans are in place and tested regularly, ensuring the right talent is included on the emergency response team, investing in surveillance systems and staff, and investing in IPC workforce. Forbes. Oct 12, 2022. Read more
Study Reveals Manual Cleaning of Medical Instruments Exposes Staff and Surrounding Environment to Potentially Contaminated Fluids
Arlington, Va., October 13, 2022 – A new study published in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) shows that manual cleaning of reusable medical instruments generates substantial splash more than seven feet from the source. The findings reinforce the importance of engineering controls and appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the risk of contamination for both processing personnel and their facilities. Read more
Study Shows Temporary Isolation Wards Provided Effective Protection Against Healthcare-Associated COVID-19 Transmission
Arlington, Va., October 28, 2022 – Temporary isolation wards utilized to house COVID-19 patients at a large Singapore hospital during the global pandemic allowed for safe management of COVID-19 cases over an 18-month period, without healthcare-associated SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The study finding, published in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), suggests that these wards can provide a safe option for managing patients during future pandemics caused by a novel respiratory pathogen. Continue reading
Did You Clean Your Hands Correctly? Using Thermal Imaging as an Innovative Way to Assess Hand Hygiene Technique
John Boyce, MD, a renowned infectious disease specialist and hospital epidemiologist, and colleague Richard Martinello, MD, a medical director of infection prevention, devised an innovative method to assess how well HCPs perform hand hygiene using portable thermal imaging. Check out how they were able to better examine hand hygiene technique. Listen now!
Researchers Apply New Method to Quantify Antibiotic Prescribing
The Spectrum Score, a metric for calculating the scope of antibiotic prescribing, may offer an important quantitative measurement to inform clinical prescribing patterns, guide antibiotic stewardship programs and evaluate long-term impacts of antibiotic practice in patients with suspected infection and sepsis, according to a study in Medicine. Read more
|
|
Introducing CORHA’s Principles and Practices for Healthcare Outbreak Response and its Importance
We are excited to announce that the first 5 chapters of the Council for Outbreak Response: Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial-Resistant Pathogens (CORHA) Principles and Practices for Healthcare Outbreak Response are now officially available online. CORHA aims to equip public health, healthcare, and other stakeholders with a useful resource to build on and improve their healthcare outbreak response capacities and practices. Read more
Residential Care Services (RCS) created a training template for providers titled, “End of Proclamation & Public Health Emergency – What Now?"
In response to Certified Community Residential Services & Support (CCRSS) request, Residential Care Services (RCS) created a training template for providers titled “End of Proclamation & Public Health Emergency –What Now?". The training is for Certified Community Residential Services & Support (CCRSS) Providers. The training template outlines what must be done to meet regulatory requirements related to infection prevention and control. Access the training template here.
|
|
|
|
The WA DOH HAI/AR Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) webpage has been updated - Check out the new page!
|
HAI/AR Response & Prevention Orientation Guide: DHQP released an update to the previously titled HAI/AR Program Coordinator Packet. This resource has been updated to reflect the recent expansion of HAI/AR Programs and focuses primarily on the response and prevention program area. This document can be used to help orient new HAI/AR program staff who are focusing on HAI/AR response and prevention work. It includes information and background on HAI/AR program goals, activities, program evaluation, training opportunities, and other resources related to G1 and SHARP Project 1. Visit the HAI/AR Programs SharePoint site at this link (SAMS log-in required) to access the guide which will be updated periodically.
|
Letters regarding the following topics are now available online:
A letter to ICF/IID Superintendents regarding the following topic is now available online:
A letter to AFH, ALF, ESF and CCRSS providers regarding the following topic is now available online:
A letter to adult family home providers regarding the following topic is now available online:
HAI Job Opportunities
Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology
Remote Eastern Washington
Closing: November 27, 2022
Communicable Disease Epidemiology & Immunization Section Management Team
Closing: November 29, 2022
|
|
You are subscribed to Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance (HAI&AR) Newsletter for Washington State Department of Health. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
|
|
If you aren't already signed up for the Healthcare Associated Infections and Antibiotic Resistance newsletter, please visit the Department of Health's email subscribers page here. |
|
|
|
|