What tasks should the infection preventionist be assigned?
Specific tasks vary, depending on factors like program maturity, resident population, and number and types of infections present. You may want to sort tasks into five broad categories: prevention, identification, investigation, controlling, and reporting.
To begin, have your IP conduct a risk assessment to determine facility-specific infection prevention and control priorities. These findings drive next steps. Prevention requires developing a system for infection surveillance; educating staff on hand hygiene, isolation precaution, and the use of equipment; and monitoring vaccination compliance.
Identification tasks include finding the types of infections present in the facility and monitoring antibiotic use. When isolation occurs, the IP must document its need, type and duration.
The core of investigation is scrutinizing incidents and corrective actions to resolve them. Other investigation tasks include outbreak monitoring, trending, and staff and volunteer infection-monitoring.
Controlling encompasses tasks like developing systems to identify newly admitted residents with potentially infectious diseases and overseeing infection-related policy revisions. The IP must review the IPCP at least annually.
Reporting tasks include notifying local agencies regarding communicable diseases and sharing infection surveillance with the quality assessment and assurance committee. By November 28, 2019, the IP must be a QAA committee member.
Remember, it is an ongoing process: infection is never definitively prevented or controlled. But these categories reinforce one another and, together, promote safety and well-being.
From the November 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
