Although work on the National Action Plan began before COVID-19 , its release is timely as the core principles and recommendations are extremely relevant to the pandemic .
may also lead to an influenza season with low transmission and provide information that could lead to new proactive strategies to prevent transmission respiratory viruses .
Infection preventionists must be able to integrate evolving information to make convincing recommendations for prevention to their leadership teams . Although work on the National Action Plan began before COVID-19 , its release is timely as the core principles and recommendations are extremely relevant to the pandemic . Ultimately , the decision on which prevention strategies to implement and when they should be implemented is in the collective hands of healthcare organizational leaders . Even with state mandates , healthcare organizations can choose to rigorously educate and enforce implementation , or they can , instead , put up signs and call it a day . Ideally , it is the hope of infection preventionists , like me , that health care organizations will lead the way to zero harm by using the valuable information we are learning during this pandemic .
Sylvia Garcia , MBA , RN , CIC , is director of infection prevention and control within the of Division of Healthcare Improvement at the Joint Commission .
References :
1 . National Steering Committee for Patient Safety . Safer Together : A National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety . Boston , Massachusetts : Institute for Healthcare Improvement ; 2020 . Available at : www . ihi . org / SafetyActionPlan
2 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice , Third Edition . Available at https :// www . cdc . gov / csels / dsepd / ss1978 / index . html Accessed Sept . 29 , 2020 .
3 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health . Workplace Safety and Health Topics . Hierarchy of Controls . Available at https :// www . cdc . gov / niosh / topics / hierarchy / default . html Accessed Sept . 28 , 2020
4 . Occupational Safety and Health . Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs . Hazard Prevention and Control . Available at https :// www . osha . gov / shpguidelines / hazard-prevention . html Accessed Sept . 28 , 2020 .
5 . Wang X , Ferro EG , Zhou G , Hashimoto D , Bhatt DL . Association between universal masking in a health care system and SARS-CoV-2 positivity among health care workers . JAMA . Published online July 14 , 2020 . doi : 10.1001 / jama . 2020.12897
6 . Hendrix MJ , Walde C , Findley K , Trotman R . Absence of Apparent Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from Two Stylists After Exposure at a Hair Salon with a Universal Face Covering Policy - Springfield , Missouri , May 2020 . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020 ; 69:930-932 . DOI : http :// dx . doi . org / 10.15585 / mmwr . mm6928e2external icon
7 . Olsen SJ , Azziz-Baumgartner E , Budd AP , et al . Decreased Influenza Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States , Australia , Chile , and South Africa , 2020 . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020 ; 69:1305 – 1309 . DOI : http :// dx . doi . org / 10.15585 / mmwr . mm6937a6
8 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Key Facts About Influenza ( Flu ) Available at https :// www . cdc . gov / flu / about / keyfacts . htm Accessed on September 29 , 2020.9 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . How Flu Spreads . Available at https :// www . cdc . gov / flu / about / disease / spread . htm #:~: text = When % 20Flu % 20 Spreads , 7 % 20days % 20after % 20becoming % 20sick . Accessed Sept . 29 , 2020 .
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