Chris | July 31, 2011
The term Nosocomial Infection has more recently been changed to Health Care Acquired Infection or HAI. I find Health Care Workers continue to default to using Nosocomial. In any case, a HAI or Nosocomial Infection, is one that develops 48 to 72 hours after admission to a healthcare facility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Multiple factors contribute [...]
Chris | July 16, 2011
I’ve been reviewing my e-mail, even making the effort to get through the huge spam folder. Many readers have taken the opportunity to comment on the information I’ve posted and most are so very gracious; I am always thankful for that.
There are e-mails from nurses, a few readers who would like to sell a product, and one or two who are having technical issues. [...]
Chris | July 4, 2011
What is OSHA?
OSHA is the acronym for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an agency of the Federal Government created by Congress in 1970 under The Department of Labor. OSHA mandates compliance with standards set for employee safety in the workplace. In 1991 OSHA developed the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to protect workers from the risk associated with [...]
Chris | June 7, 2011
I live and work in Southern California; for these reasons, the resources I use for my contributions to The Preventionist come mainly from:
The California Department of Public Health Infection Control Guidelines
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
And the Association for Professionals in Infection Control [...]
Chris | May 14, 2011
If you are the Staff Developer and the Infection Preventionist you are most likely responsible for Employee Health as well; that includes annual resident and employee Tuberculosis screenings with PPD. What do you do if an employee or resident converts from a negative to a positive PPD?
To begin with, The Preventionist needs to be skilled [...]
Chris | May 3, 2011
It’s that time of year when viral gastroenteritis makes itself known in the community and in Long-term Care. (See CDC: Norovirus ) Here is a review of a common type of situation found in Long-term Care
You, the DSD, come on duty Monday morning and are told Sunday night three residents had several episodes of vomiting followed by diarrhea. A Nursing Assistant went home with the [...]
Chris | April 26, 2011
The CDC defines Multidrug-resistant Organisms (MDRO’s) as microorganisms that have developed resistance to multiple antimicrobial drugs; two MDRO’s we are most familiar with in Long-term Care are MRSA (Methicillin -resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus). Patients, health-care workers and visitors are potential sources of MDRO’s. They may be colonized, infected, and unknowingly transmitting resistant organisms to one [...]
Chris | March 27, 2011
I live and work in Southern California; the resources I depend on for information regarding Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines in Long-term Care for California are gathered here:
The California Department of Public Health Infection Control Guidelines for Long-term Care
Each state develops their own guidelines; those are usually drawn from multiple sources including the CDC, OSHA [...]
Chris | February 28, 2011
The acronym ICP (Infection Control Practitioner) is typically used to refer to the Infection Control Nurse in long-term care.
In the past, the term Nosocomial Infection was used to describe facility acquired infections; the newer term, Healthcare-associated Infections (HAI) is in use by Preventionists now.
In our last post we discussed many of the duties assigned to [...]
Chris | February 24, 2011
An Infection Control professional, more recently referred to as an Infection Preventionist (ICP) is usually required to be a licensed Registered or Vocational Nurse, depending on state regulations. Some of the duties of the Infection Preventionist may include:
Surveillance: In infection control, surveillance is the term used to describe the function of observing, gathering, investigating and reviewing [...]