Regarding communicating and collaborating , remember that infection prevention and control doesn ’ t own everybody , but you should be communicating and collaborating with those other departments that have infection prevention and control implications .”
Wiksten highlighted the infection preventionist requirements that call for :
●The hospital governing body , based on the recommendation of the medical staff and nursing leaders , appoints an infection preventionist ( s ) or infection control professional ( s ) qualified through education , training , experience , or certification in infection prevention to be responsible for the infection prevention and control program .
●The hospital defines the qualifications for the infection preventionist ( s ) or infection control professional ( s ), which may be met through ongoing education , training , experience , and / or certification ( such as that offered by the Certification Board for Infection Control ).
Wiksten noted that while the scoring location may change , the requirements for the appointment of the person responsible for the infection prevention and control program and qualifications for the ICP remain unchanged .
“ The infection preventionist requirements are unchanged ,” she added . “ The only thing that is changing is the scoring location . So , the person who ’ s responsible for the infection prevention and control program still needs to be appointed by the governing body , and you should have their name documented in the appointment because the person may change but the title may stay the same . The responsibilities are effective July 1 and these look pretty familiar . The two I want to focus on are ‘ competency-based training and education of hospital staff on infection prevention and control policies and procedures and their application ,’ as well as ‘ communicating and collaborating with all components of the hospital involved in infection prevention and control activities .’ The wording is a little bit different ; we used to be responsible for educating healthcare workers , so why competency-based training and education ? So , think about your method for providing education now . Sometimes it ’ s a policy and it ’ s a reading sign . Sometimes we have those fancy policy manager systems where you assign it to a staff member and they read it and they test on it . Did you look to see how long it took from the time they opened it to the time they tested on it ? Like 3 seconds , right ? So , how did they get the information that they need to be able to perform their job functions properly ?
That ’ s why competency-based training and education is so important .”
Wiksten continued , “ Regarding communicating and collaborating , remember that infection prevention and control doesn ’ t own everybody , but you should be communicating and collaborating with those other departments that have infection prevention and control implications .”
Moving on , Wiksten pointed to the new IC standards upholding the approach to assessing compliance with infection prevention and control requirements and remarked that there is no new framework to learn . However , the hospital ’ s policies and procedures for cleaning , disinfection and sterilization of reusable medical and surgical devices and equipment must address a number of critical elements :
●Cleaning , disinfection , and sterilization of reusable medical and surgical devices in accordance with the Spaulding classification system and manufacturers ’ instructions .
●The use of EPA-registered disinfectants for noncritical devices and equipment according to the directions on the product labeling .
●The use of FDA-approved liquid sterilants for the processing of critical devices and high-level disinfectants for the processing of semi-critical devices in accordance with the FDA-cleared label and device manufacturers ’ instructions .
●Required documentation for device reprocessing cycles ( e . g ., sterilizer cycle logs , the frequency of chemical and biological testing , and the results of testing for appropriate concentration for chemicals used in high-level disinfection , etc .).
●Resolution of conflicts or discrepancies between a medical device manufacturer ’ s instructions and manufacturers ’ instructions for automated high-level disinfection or sterilization equipment .
●Criteria and the process for the use of immediate-use steam sterilization .
●Actions to take in the event of a reprocessing error or failure identified either prior to the release of the reprocessed item ( s ) or after the reprocessed item ( s ) was used or stored for later use .
“ You probably already have these elements in your policies , processes and procedures for sterile processing departments ,” Wiksten acknowledged , “ but make sure that they apply to your ambulatory locations as well .”
Pointing to IC . 05.01.01 : The hospital ’ s governing body is accountable for the implementation , performance , and sustainability of the infection prevention and control program , Wiksten explained that program resources must include human resources to mitigate infection risks and prevent transmission of infection . They must also include material , with examples being information technology , laboratory services , equipment , and supplies . Additionally , resources must include information , including access to local , state and federal public health advisories , MIFU , regulation , and guidelines and consensus documents required / chosen by the hospital to inform policies and procedures .
Regarding IC . 06.01.01 : The hospital implements its infection prevention and control program through surveillance , prevention , and control activities , Wiksten noted that “ This is where your risk assessment lives ,” Wiksten said . “ So , for hospitals and critical access hospitals , there are six main components that you must include in your risk assessment : Risks from organisms with a propensity for transmission ; risks based on geographical location and population served ; community data ; risks based on care , treatment , services provided ; risks for exposure to infectious material ; and information from local , state and federal public health advisories .”
Wiksten continued , “ IC . 06 is where all of your activities live , such as standard precautions , transmission-based precautions , management of temporary invasive medical devices , occupational health , laundry and linen , dietary services , surgical services and all your other implementation services .”
Regarding IC . 07.01.01 : The hospital implements processes to support preparedness for high-consequence infectious diseases or special pathogens , Wiksten noted , “ As much heartburn as this is giving you all , I ’ m confident that post-COVID , you have these processes already put together . They might not be 100 percent in the form of this protocol with the way it reads here , but you probably have that information readily available in general and have protocols readily available at the point of use that address procedures for screening at points of entry for respiratory symptoms or fever , rash , cough , etc . You are taking standard precautions and travel history when it ’ s relevant to identify or initiate evaluation for high-consequence infectious disease and have procedures for isolating those patients .”
She pointed out that the hospital must develop and implement education and training and assesses competencies for the staff who will implement protocols for high-consequence infectious diseases or special pathogens .
22 • www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com • july 2024