Behind the Scenes in Healthcare
We’ve all lived through a pandemic and have firsthand experience attempting to control a viral infection. Though COVID-19 is still top of mind for most of us, germs and their impact have a deep history. The bubonic plague was spread by fleas and killed millions of Europeans. Fast forward to the 20th century when life expectancy rose to above age 50, thanks to public health measures like sanitation, vaccination and antibiotics to control infectious diseases. Although it was thought that infectious diseases could be totally controlled, they are still a significant public health problem worldwide.
In the 1970s, all accredited hospitals became required to have a formal infection prevention and control program that evolved into a hospital department. Firelands Regional Medical Center’s infection prevention and control department has one full-time and one part-time RN working as infection preventionists.
One of the essential roles of the preventionists is to educate patients and staff on precautions to decrease the spread of infection. For example, requesting visitors wash their hands when they enter and leave a patient’s room is a necessary precaution to prevent the spread of an infection. Why is education necessary? Let’s say you visit a patient in the hospital who has MRSA and shake hands or hug them before leaving their room. Suppose you forget to wash or sanitize your hands on the way out. When you leave, you touch an elevator button with the unwashed hand, which can spread the infection to hospital staff, other patients or visitors.
“Infection prevention and control is a department in the hospital, but it is a team effort among all hospital staff
to decrease and eliminate microorganisms within the hospital to create a safer environment for our patients and employees,” said Sydney Cmar, RN, MPH, infection prevention and control coordinator.
Keeping the Hospital Clean
Not all germs are eliminated in the same way. The infection preventionists work closely with the environmental services (EVS) team to determine which products are required to kill specific germs and disinfect spaces. After each use, EVS cleans and disinfects every operating room and patient room from top to bottom. Bed frames, including the underside, and every surface are thoroughly cleaned, including the TV remote and nurse call buttons. There are 80 random audits conducted on rooms each month using a machine that can show germs under a special light to ensure surfaces are free from germs.
The infection preventionists are also part of every construction project. They consider any risk and ensure practices are in place to perform the work safely, eliminating risk to patients or employees during the project.
Devices and Instruments
Firelands follows strict guidelines for disinfecting and sterilizing devices and instruments such as intravenous (IV) machines and poles, blood pressure cuffs, respirators and surgical instruments used in the operating room. Patients with central IVs, urinary catheters and ventilators are closely monitored for potential infections.
Precautions
More than 300 types of infections or conditions have guidelines for precautions. Most of us have heard of
C diff, RSV, influenza, pneumonia and meningitis, but the infection prevention and control staff track and report all types. They maintain the highest possible level of infection control within the hospital.
Another facet of the preventionists’ role is to provide guidelines for the hospital staff on the proper protective equipment for different infections, and audit hospital units for potential risks of infection.
Quality and Reporting
All positive reports coming through the microbiology department of the lab are reviewed daily by nurses. The infection preventionists determine if the patient with the positive test had the microorganism at admission or if the infection developed while the patient was in the hospital. Reports are compiled and reported to the required national database for hospitals.
Michael Blank, M.D., an infectious disease specialist with Firelands Physician Group, works closely with the infection prevention and control department and is consulted daily for hospital patients with infectious diseases. Dr. Blank also sees patients for infectious diseases in an outpatient clinic at 1221 Hayes Ave., Suite B, in Sandusky. To schedule an appointment, call 419-557-6780.
