ABSTRACT
The transmission of bloodborne viruses and other microbial pathogens to patients during routine health care procedures continues to occur because of the use of improper injection, infusion, medication vial, and point-of-care testing practices by health care personnel. These unsafe practices occur in various clinical settings and result in unacceptable and devastating events for patients. This document updates the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology 2010 position paper on safe injection, infusion, and medication vial practices in health care.
Subject(s)
Blood-Borne Pathogens , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Cross Infection/transmission , Disease Transmission, Infectious/prevention & control , Infection Control/methods , Infusions, Intravenous/methods , Injections, Intravenous/methods , Health Facilities , Humans , Patient Safety , Practice Guidelines as TopicABSTRACT
Preventing infection in the perioperative setting is a critical element of patient and health care worker safety. This article reviews the recommendations in the AORN "Recommended practices for prevention of transmissible infections in the perioperative practice setting." The recommended practices are intended to help perioperative nurses implement standard and transmission-based precautions (ie, contact, droplet, airborne), including use of personal protective equipment as well as interventions to prevent surgical site infections and exposure to bloodborne pathogens. Additional recommendations cover vaccination programs and how to manage personnel who require work restrictions. Hospital and ambulatory patient scenarios are included to help perioperative nurses apply the recommendations in daily practice.
Subject(s)
Communicable Disease Control , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Societies, Nursing , Education, Nursing, Continuing , Humans , United StatesABSTRACT
This article focuses on implementing the revised AORN "Recommended practices for hand hygiene in the perioperative setting." The content of the document has been expanded and reorganized from the previous iteration and now includes specific activity statements about water temperature, water and soap dispensing controls, the type of dispensers to use, paper towel dispenser requirements, placement of soap and rub dispensers, and regulatory requirements for products and recommendations for hand hygiene practices. A successful hand hygiene program allows end users to have input into the selection and evaluation of products and should include educating personnel about proper hand hygiene, product composition and safety, and how and when to use specific products. Measures for competency evaluation and compliance monitoring include observations, quizzes, skills labs, electronic monitoring systems, handheld device applications, and data collection forms.
Subject(s)
Guideline Adherence , Hand Disinfection/standards , Inservice Training , Perioperative Nursing/education , Hand Disinfection/methods , Health Plan Implementation , Humans , Practice Guidelines as Topic , United StatesABSTRACT
Outbreaks involving the transmission of bloodborne pathogens or other microbial pathogens to patients in various types of health care settings due to unsafe injection, infusion, and medication vial practices are unacceptable. Each of the outbreaks could have been prevented by the use of proper aseptic technique in conjunction with basic infection prevention practices for handling parenteral medications, administration of injections, and procurement and sampling of blood. This document provides practice guidance for health care facilities on essential safe injection, infusion, and vial practices that should be consistently implemented in such settings.
Subject(s)
Cross Infection/prevention & control , Drug Packaging , Infection Control/methods , Infusions, Intravenous/methods , Injections/methods , HumansSubject(s)
Cross Infection/epidemiology , Disease Notification , Infection Control/methods , Sentinel Surveillance , Benchmarking , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Humans , Infection Control/instrumentation , Infection Control Practitioners , Public Health Administration , Technology , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
In many states, the same regulations that apply to hospitals don't apply to clinics and ambulatory centers. But regardless of whether the government demands it, health care workers at these facilities should be just as meticulous about infection prevention practices as health care workers in hospitals. As with any other organization, a good place to start is hand hygiene and proper education about what infection prevention entails.
Subject(s)
Ambulatory Care Facilities , Cross Infection/prevention & control , Ambulatory Care Facilities/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Safety Management , United StatesABSTRACT
This study evaluated the effect of distance on the likelihood of initiating and maintaining regular use of a fitness-program benefit in a population of managed Medicare seniors. We studied 8,162 participants and nonparticipants in a managed-care fitness-program benefit: a structured group exercise program or an unstructured health-club membership. Participants in both programs lived significantly closer to facilities than nonparticipants did (structured, p < .001; unstructured, p = .017). Participants living closer to unstructured-program sites attended more frequently than those farther away (p = .008). Distance was not correlated with frequency of use in the structured program (p = .49). Collectively, these analyses demonstrate that distance is related to uptake and, in some cases, continued use of a fitness-program benefit. Health systems providing fitness-program benefits as a way to increase physical activity levels of their plan members should consider location of program facilities in relation to members' home addresses to maximize use of the benefit.
