INFECTION PREVENTION
BY DANIEL BEAIRD
Pandemic pushed IPs to the forefront as subject matter experts IPs have served as the clearing house for new products during the COVID-19 crisis. Editor’s Note: The participation of those in the following article does not constitute an endorsement of the sponsor’s products or services. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged, infection prevention information constantly
Because of this, the public also became
changed. The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention’s (CDC) interim guidance
much more aware of standard precautions
was continuously updated based on available information about COVID-19 and the
in infection prevention. Patients became
situation in the U.S. All recommendations were organized into recommended infection
more involved in their own care and were
prevention and control (IPC) practices for routine healthcare delivery during the pan-
more apt to remind healthcare staff about
demic and recommended IPC practices when caring for a patient with suspected
prevention practices like hand hygiene.
or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.
“The most striking change was infection prevention moving out of the healthcare setting,” said Ivan Gowe, an infection preventionist at Pardee UNC Health Care in Hendersonville, N.C. Patients can also bring unrealistic and non-evidence based expectations into their care through their elevated recognition. But that’s a side effect IPs are willing to live with if it means patients are more informed. “The lack of knowledge surrounding SARS-CoV-2 was disconcerting to the public and many people were looking for
Despite the previous best efforts
Patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2
ways to protect themselves,” said Nancy
of infection preventionists (IPs), if you
infection were seen under nurse-directed
Kerr, a registered nurse (RN) and manager
asked some other healthcare professionals
triage protocols to determine if an appoint-
of infection prevention at Hackensack
their opinions of infection prevention be-
ment was necessary or if the patient could
Meridian Health in New Jersey. “As
fore the COVID-19 crisis, you might have
be managed from home. In some settings,
healthcare workers, we knew what to do
heard the word hinderance. Yet when a
patients opted to wait in a personal vehicle
but the general population wasn’t so sure.”
worldwide pandemic arrived few judg-
or outside the healthcare facility where they
ments were made without the input of
were contacted by mobile phone when
the spotlight on infection prevention
IPs. Decisions around personal protective
it was their turn to be evaluated. Other
programs and the role of IPs.
equipment (PPE) use and reuse, visitors,
facilities identified a separate, well-ventilated
cleaning and disinfection all demanded
space that allowed waiting patients to be
prevention in communities and hospitals
the expertise of IPs.
separated by six feet or more.
in one year than I’ve seen in my 30 years
28
And just like that, the pandemic put
“I’ve seen more emphasis on infection
June 2021 | The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
