Introduction
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a significant threat to patient safety with an incidence of approximately 4.5 HAI for every hospital admission. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), says that over a million HAIs occur across U.S healthcare systems every year leading to the loss of thousands of lives and adding billions of dollars to healthcare costs. Common HAIs include but are not limited to infections acquired from the use of invasive devices such as catheters and ventilators or procedures used to treat patients. Tennessee Center for Patient Safety works with hospitals across the state to implement practices to reduce the risk of these HAIs including central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), ventilator-associated pneumonia, multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), surgical site infections (SSIs) and other infections.
International Infection Prevention Week 2022 | October 16 - 22
International Infection Prevention Week is organized by APIC, The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. The theme this year is “The Future IS Infection Prevention” because infection prevention is more important than ever. For more information regarding International Infection Prevention Week and how you can support and acknowledge infection prevention, please visit http://infectionpreventionandyou.org/.
International Infection Prevention Week 2021 | October 17 - 23
THA acknowledges and celebrates Tennessee hospital infection preventionists (IPs) as we mark International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). IPs have been on the forefront of the fight against the pandemic and other infectious threats in our communities. We applaud them for the work they do on a daily basis to assure the safety of our Tennesseans. The 2021 theme was “Make Your Intention Infection Prevention” with a focus on highlighting the science behind infection prevention and inspiring others to join in the fight to prevent infections.
We are so proud of our team of dedicated and caring staff at CRMC.
-Stephanie Etter, Infection Prevention/Accreditation Manager
Left to right: Sara Dodson MT (ASCP), CIC | Portia Greenlee BSN, RN, CIC | Jennifer Radtke MSN, RN, TCRN, CIC | Mark Rasnake MD, FACP | Tarry Samsel BSN, RN, CIC | Harriett Bennett BSN, RN, CIC
Infection prevention and control has always been an important part of public health and safety. As the global fight against COVID-19 continues, we are reminded just how important infection control and prevention is. The Infection Prevention team at UTMC helps to keep our patients and team members safe, reduce healthcare-associated infections, and promote infection prevention strategies (such as hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment and vaccination).
“Be proud. One day, you’ll back on the pandemic, knowing you were part of something larger than yourself.” -Mark Seigel, MD
When the risks of a pandemic became a reality, the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Infection Prevention team researched to learn as much as they could about the virus and prevention of the spread. The IP nurses made themselves available 24/7 to our healthcare workers across the system to provide just-in-time coaching through what was a complicated and, at the time, foreign processes to us all. The team quickly became a valued resource for the staff at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. Within weeks, the IP team took the lead in setting up drive-through testing and planning designated spaces for care of COVID-19 patients that ensured protection to our other patients and ensuring the supplemental PPE was of the quality to protect our staff. Working intentionally with the healthcare teams has contributed to safe virtual visitation by friends and families with hospitalized patients, safe in-person visitation with patients nearing end of life, and ultimately, strategies to increase the safety for our workforce, visitors and our patients.
As a bonus, we are all Zoom experts.
-Jackie Morton, Methodist Le Bonheur
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On July 21-22, 2022, Tennessee Infection Preventionists met at THA for IP Bootcamp, a two-day session designed to enhance foundational knowledge and creative approaches to infection prevention.
