them what to prioritize as well as a tight schedule to meet - and unfortunately , that often results in a missed opportunity for IPs to have a seat at the table early enough to make a difference .”

Dickey says that IPs can bring their clinical expertise to bear on the decisions being made about the environment of care .

“ When we look at healthcare-associated infections , the biggest contributors are the pathogens that are on patients ’ skin or within their bodies , and those pathogens travel from one location to another via contaminated hands , surfaces , objects , medical devices , etc .,” she says . “ So , when we look at data , that ’ s why there is so much focus on non-environmental forces because in fact , that is where most infections come from , but not all . And so there is a place for infection preventionists to be able to demonstrate to other stakeholders by saying , ‘ Here ’ s examples of how this occurred .’ If there is an environmentally associated infection that occurs not just necessarily in their facility , but a case they read about in a journal or heard about at a conference , they can look within their own facility to see if they have some of the identified risk factors , and then engage their partners across the organization to say , ‘ We have things here that could be a risk for us , and here ’ s an example of where it occurred elsewhere , so we need to look at our own risk assessment as well .’ IPs collaborate with people within their organization and externally through organizations like APIC to share information to reduce infection risk . And one of the key components to being effective as an IP is to communicate information succinctly and clearly so that it makes an impact .”

The Healthcare Built Environment Post-COVID and the Emphasis on Air Quality and Ventilation

At the beginning of the pandemic , emphasis was placed on object ( fomite ) and surface contamination that aided transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus , and so hand hygiene and cleaning and disinfection was emphasized as precautionary measures . As the pandemic progressed , experts determined that the main transmission was airborne , thus triggering the resulting respiratory protection protocol . The science evolved as the pandemic wore on , and soon aerosol-generating procedures were also called into question , with SARS-CoV-2 changing so much of what was known and assumed around aerosols , particulates , and droplets that could carry infectious material .

As we know , an infectious aerosol is a suspension in air of fine particles or droplets containing pathogens such as the SARS- CoV-2 virus that can cause infections when inhaled . They can be produced by breathing , talking , sneezing and other as well as by flushing toilets and by certain medical and dental procedures .

“ COVID gave us the opportunity , not only in healthcare settings , but in nearly all settings with built environments , to think about the generation of airborne particulates and the quality of the air and ventilation ,” Dickey says . “ It gives us an opportunity to re-examine our buildings and assess the types of

The Infection Prevention Exchange

By MD-Medical Data Quality & Safety Advisors , LLC

The IPEX Bundle

• Data

• Process Improvement

• Technology • Artificial Intelligence

Patient & Staff Safety

Patient Satisfaction Scores improved LeapFrog Scores improved

Financial & Operational Efficiencies 50-75 % Reductions in cost of infection

HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS

Contact Tracing

50-75 % Reductions in infections

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