Agenda

Issue: In the absence of standardized audits, healthcare settings are at risk of infection prevention and control lapses that have the potential to place patients at risk of healthcare acquired infections and facilities subject to regulatory citations. Development of a standardized infection prevention audit for hospital inpatient and emergency departments is critical in establishing uniform expectations for infection preventionists, leadership, and frontline staff to promote best practices in infection prevention.

Project: Infection preventionists utilized guidelines from professional associations to build an electronic audit form to be used when rounding within inpatient and emergency departments. Internal expectations were established by the infection prevention director and team, requiring infection preventionists to conduct formal audits at a minimum of once per quarter per unit. Results of the audit as well as action items for non-compliant findings were shared within three days of audit completion with unit leadership. Unit leadership was then requested to respond to the audit with their action plan to address noncompliant findings. Infection preventionists collated and analyzed audit data to identify trends in compliance at the unit and system levels

Results: After six months of implementation of the standardized audit tool, on 29 out of the 32 total inpatient units and emergency departments, at least two audits were completed by the infection prevention team, meeting the goal of performing quarterly audits on 90.6% of the departments included. Unit leadership expressed gratitude in receiving the detailed audit reports that clearly identified areas for improvement. The analyzed, comprehensive, data-driven observations from all audits sparked opportunities for celebration as well as illuminated areas for improvement across the healthcare system. Infection preventionists responded to findings of repeated noncompliance, working across hospital disciplines to bring awareness to practice gaps and to create solutions to prevent their future reoccurrence.

Lessons Learned: Through the establishment of a standardized infection prevention audit, infection preventionists can lead the way in mitigating risk to patients while fostering unit-based accountability, promoting the adherence to core infection prevention and control practices as a shared responsibility by all team members.

Issue

Health care facilities rely on contracted services to supply critical service lines for their patients. Many times, facilities will provide physical space, while the contracted service company is responsible for all other aspects of care. Contracted companies often serve multiple facilities within a state and even across state lines. Therefore, a breach in infection prevention practices can have significant impact.

During a proactive mock survey, a facility identified a potential infection prevention breach due to a failure in reprocessing reusable medical equipment by their contracted sleep lab. Due to concerns that this breach may impact other facilities in the state, the facility notified the state HAI program for assistance.

Project

The HAI program was invited to the facility to perform an on-site assessment of the sleep lab practices. Multiple opportunities for infection prevention improvements were noted, in particular a failure to high-level disinfect reusable equipment per the manufacturer's instructions for use. The contracted company’s policy and procedures were also reviewed in depth, and it was determined that further outreach to the company would be needed to mitigate further breaches.

Results

Ultimately, the state HAI program was able to successfully connect with the contracted company to provide education on infection prevention best practices regarding reprocessing of reusable equipment. The company adjusted their policy and procedures to ensure all medical equipment was reprocessed appropriately. The HAI program also sent a statewide communication to infection preventionists recommending reviewing reprocessing practices with contracted companies. 

Lessons Learned

Facilities should have good collaboration with contracted companies to fully understand all infection prevention practices and ensure they are set up successfully, especially if reprocessing reusable medical equipment is needed. State HAI programs are available to assist with breach investigations and facilitate broader communications to improve infection prevention practices, especially if they impact facilities statewide and, in this case, multi-state.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to rapidly transform every aspect of healthcare and has demonstrated potential to impact and improve patient care, education, and research. In the field

of infection prevention, the use of AI is relevant to every aspect of the role and represents a vital area of personal and professional education and growth. This session will build upon basic AI

knowledge and provide examples of what is currently possible within the field and explore future uses. The goal of the session is to provide a fertile ground for innovation and self-development,

so the infection preventionist is well positioned for the changes AI is already bringing, and will continue to bring, to our world.

Objectives:

1) Review current AI uses in infection prevention activities.

2) Demonstrate application of current AI technologies.

3) Outline elements in a personal AI knowledge development plan.

Infection preventionists often find themselves navigating a maze of federal guidance, state requirements, and a steady stream of oversight visits. From VISN reviews to OIG inspections, Ascellon audits, Joint Commission tracers, and state-level expectations, each group brings its own “clipboard”, and sometimes, its own interpretation of what “right” looks like. This presentation will explore common areas where guidelines don’t quite align, how to determine which standard applies, and strategies for creating consistent practice in the face of continuous surveys.

   In today’s evolving media landscape, both national and local media remain critical channels for communication. This presentation provides a foundational framework for infection preventionists to effectively engage with the media during events that impact your health system—whether small, medium, or large. It’s important to recognize that media engagement is not limited to major disasters or public health emergencies; even routine situations may prompt media inquiries.

   You will learn what to expect from reporters and why timely, clear responses are essential. While public health emergencies demand a coordinated media approach, building and maintaining strong relationships with the media offers significant advantages. High-consequence infectious diseases can emerge in diverse settings, and infection preventionists must be prepared to communicate clearly and confidently.

   As trusted experts, infection preventionists have a responsibility to convey the nature of infectious disease threats and guide the public on appropriate protective actions to minimize harm both in the community and within healthcare settings.

   Attendees will explore various strategies for disseminating information to the media and crafting effective messages. Additionally, we will briefly address how disaster response often involves activating the Incident Command Structure (ICS), and how this impacts communication through the Joint Information Center (JIC).

Key Take-Away Points:

• Media engagement remains vital at all levels—local, regional, and national—even beyond major public health emergencies.
• Infection preventionists play a critical role as trusted communicators during infectious disease events, helping to inform and protect the public and healthcare workers.
• Understanding reporter expectations and motivations helps you respond effectively and maintain control of your message.
• Building and sustaining strong relationships with media outlets before a crisis enhances trust and facilitates timely, accurate information sharing.
• Effective messaging requires clarity, consistency, and tailoring to the audience’s needs and concerns.

Preparation and practice in media communication can reduce anxiety and improve your confidence and effectiveness during real events.

Facilitators will discuss PPE considerations and practices related to caring for patients with a suspected or confirmed High Consequence Infectious Disease. Only providers who have been trained in the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) should be assigned to the care of the patient. Proper donning and doffing procedures are essential to ensure that PPE is effective and contamination is minimized. Training on the correct use and removal of PPE is critical for healthcare workers dealing with special pathogens to prevent breaches in infection control protocols.

Before an employee is required to use any respirator with a tight-fitting, they must be fit tested. Fit testing must be performed by an individual knowledgeable in respiratory protection and qualified to follow the protocol and train the employee to properly put on and take off the respirator. The learner will be able to select the most acceptable respirator for the healthcare task and determine an acceptable fit through either qualitative [QLFT] or quantitative [QNFT] testing. 

Jeopardy is an effective educational tool that leverages gamification to enhance learner engagement, knowledge retention, and critical thinking skills. The game demands quick thinking, problem-solving, and critical analysis to decipher clues and formulate answers in the required question format. Participate in a lively game of Jeopardy that relies on teamwork and quick collaboration.  The game will focus on basics of infection prevention.  Infection preventionists are always looking for new and exciting ways of interactive learning to engage front line healthcare workers.