Hospital Infection Control & Prevention – September 1, 2018
September 1, 2018
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Opioid Shortage Could Increase Diversion Risk
The national shortage of opioid medications is contributing to drug diversion incidents by healthcare workers, as scarcity leads to hoarding of vials, and new and unfamiliar products make tampering less detectable. -
Stay in Your Lane: A Framework to Define Your Practice
Infection prevention is a diverse and demanding job, and IPs with a Swiss-knife skill set may understandably be asked by colleagues to take on all manner of problems and projects. Sometimes, the answer must be “no.”
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Stay in Your Lane Framework
Infection preventionists at BJC HealthCare in St. Louis created a framework to help IPs better determine whether a given issue falls within their role and responsibilities or should be referred to another department. -
Does Your Boss Know All That You Do?
As part of defining your role and knowing when to “stay in your lane,” make sure you are getting credit for all that you do. Doing so will bolster your case if you must say “no” to additional duties. -
Legionella: Be Proactive to Avoid ‘Pain’ of Inspections
Infection preventionists who have put water management programs on the back burner could be in a world of pain if they encounter a case of Legionnaires’ disease — let alone an outbreak. -
Key Pieces of a Hospital Water Management Plan
Infection preventionists should familiarize themselves with their facility water systems and work with colleagues in engineering to ensure an outbreak of Legionella is not percolating in pipes.
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Empowering Patients to Prompt Hand Hygiene
If the highest calling in the profession is to protect patients, what if they are the ones asking the providers to wash their hands? It has been tried before with mixed results, but researchers in an ongoing study are adding a new feature.