Healthcare Hygiene magazine January 2020 | Page 6

h ealthcarehygienemagazine from the editor 20 Observations for 2020 2020 10 marks my 20 th year of working in the infection prevention-related segment of the publishing industry, so in honor of this anniversary, I thought I’d present a list of 20 of my personal and professional observations pertaining to the infection prevention and control experience: Let’s face it, most people are gross. They don’t wash their hands, period, whether it’s in the hospital or a public restroom, despite knowing better. Lack of hygiene is fine if you’re the only person left on Earth; otherwise, it’s a disgusting, dangerous, reckless practice. Imagine if the other 7.7 billion people on the planet followed suit. Lather up … and get happy about it. This is a whole separate beef but related to No. 1. The CDC has made available for years now a terrific poster on respiratory etiquette, advising individuals who need to cough or sneeze, to do so into the crook of their (hopefully clothed) elbow. Airborne transmission is serious business, yet so many people continue to spew into the air like geysers. And it wouldn’t surprise me if these people also don’t wash their hands. It goes without saying that lack of vaccination is creating outbreaks of diseases we thought we had conquered long ago, but now, thanks to the anti-vaxxers, we have little ticking timebombs in our schools, at our airports, and anywhere stupidity replaces common sense. Ignorance seems to be at the center of every complaint on this list so far, and improper antibiotic prescribing practices are no different. The astonishing thing is that physicians know better. Don’t they? Why must we hold our collective breath every year to see how poorly agencies such as the CDC and AHRQ and others are funded? That wasn’t a rhetorical question, either. Why are so many manufacturers’ IFUs so difficult to implement? Also not a rhetorical question. Exhibit halls empty out after all the swag has been snapped up, leaving exhibitors talking to themselves instead of conference attendees. They could save themselves tens of thousands of dollars and just talk amongst themselves at home. Do them a favor and hear out their spiels, as they make conferences possible. And while we’re on the topic of trade shows, if you’re an exhibitor, please stop the empty claims and start promoting the science, instead. Patient lives depend on it. One last conference vent: Convention centers that host out industry trade shows that don’t offer both Coke and Pepsi products should be demolished. In an age of choice, exclusive contracts precluding one over the other is ridiculous. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 6 Don’t overlook the lasting power of in-services; tedious as they can be to plan, schedule, implement and document, they are still one of the best ways to educate healthcare workers. Humor is society’s social lubricant; it can go a long way in conveying otherwise dry material. Those videos shown yearly at APIC are marvelous; you don’t have to be Cecil B. DeMille to try your hand at it, and it just could reach an otherwise tuned-out audience. If you are a hospital administrator or leader, you can do more for your staff than you’ll ever know if you side with them for a change, instead of your bean counters. Example: Maintain a more-than-adequate surgical instrument inventory and your SPD and OR will love you for it. Or, hire a few more FTEs in the environmental services department. Speaking of, if you are still treating your infection prevention and control program as a line item in your budget that you can cut at will, stop it. You’re tying the hands of your single best defense against adverse events – your IPs. Unresolved issues in guidelines are a crutch and are detrimental to the practice of good patient care. We all would like a bevy of randomized controlled trials to show us the way once and for all, but it’s not going to happen any time soon (see No. 5). Let’s all strive toward sound research that can help solve problems for where we are now, not where we’d like to be in 10 years. We can’t wait that long. Be kind to surveyors. They exist for a very good reason, and they’re on your side… really, they are. Be firm yet kind to vendors when they are in your hospital. Give them solid ground rules and make them abide by them, and in return, they can be an excellent source of information and solutions. Hire good consultants when you need them, especially if they were seasoned, veteran IPs in another life. Their wisdom is indispensable. Clean and disinfect your mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and anything else that your grubby little paws touch all day. Why? See. No. 1. Take time to read your policy and procedure manuals. Are they out of date? Revise them. Are they out of touch? Bring new knowledge to bear. It’s one of those tasks that are easily put off, but you know that surveyors will ask. And your healthcare workers need strong guidance to help them do the right thing. Those who work in infec- tion prevention are the most brilliant people I know, and I’m privileged to work with them. Happy New Year! 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Kelly M. Pyrek editor & publisher [email protected] A.G. Hettinger, CPA president & CFO Patti Valdez art director Mary Johnson sales and marketing specialist [email protected] Linda Lybert business development consultant J. Christine Phillips customer service manager Send inquiries to: [email protected] Healthcare Hygiene magazine is published monthly by Keystone Media Inc. 8925 Ridgeline Boulevard, suite 106, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. Free digital subscriptions available at www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com for U.S., Canada and other foreign subscribers. Copyright © 2019 Keystone Media Inc. All rights reserved. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorial material. Advertisers, and/or their agents, assume the responsibility for all content of published advertisements and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the advertisement. Editorial contributors assume responsibility for their published works and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the published work. All items submitted to Healthcare Hygiene magazine become the sole property of Keystone Media Inc. Editorial content may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. Until next month, bust those bugs! Kelly M. Pyrek Editor & Publisher [email protected] january 2020 • www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com