In a healthcare facility, infections can spread from almost anywhere. As incredible as that sounds, it is true. Take a look at a typical healthcare environment: there are many surfaces that multiple people – staff, patients, and visitors – all touch numerous times. Elevator buttons,...
Infectious diseases are those that are caused by microscopic organisms including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. The organisms enter the body, multiply and cause symptoms ranging from mild to severe, including death. The severity of the disease depends on the organism’s ability to overcome the...
Certification – is the Consultant certified in Infection Control? The Certification Board of Infection Control offers the only credential for Infection Preventionists, which is CIC. The Organization for Safety, Asepsis, and Prevention is working on creating a credential for dental infection control, although there doesn’t...
The second part of this series focuses on safe injection practices with some pictures from the field of poor practices. Medication preparation Wash hands prior to preparing any medication, every time. Medications should be prepared in an area that is free from contamination on a...
Although safe injection practices have been part of Standard Precautions in the 2007 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Isolation guidelines (https://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/isolation/Isolation2007.pdf), 19 confirmed outbreaks associated with misuse of single dose vials have occurred since 2007. The outbreaks involved outpatient settings, with many related...
Infection preventionist, infection control practitioner, infection control coordinator, infection control nurse, nurse epidemiologist, and infection control officer are some of the titles given to the person responsible for the infection control program at healthcare facilities. Infection control professionals typically have a background in nursing, medical...
Regardless of the setting (dental, ambulatory medical practice, ambulatory surgery, hospital, or long-term care) healthcare personnel go to work every day with the intention of taking excellent care of patients. No one anticipates giving a patient more than what they came for – like a...
Sterilization, high-level disinfection, low-level disinfection – how do I know what to do? How do you know if the reusable instrument or probe in your practice area requires high-level disinfection, sterilization or if wiping with a disposable disinfectant wipe is adequate? How can you ensure ultrasound...
Point of care (POC) or waived testing is an everyday occurrence in all healthcare settings but it doesn’t come without risk to patients. Did you know that from 2008 -2015 more than 100,000 patients were notified of a potential exposure to viral hepatitis after receiving...