New infection control practice guidelines are now available; a collaborative effort led by the SHEA, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and The Joint Commission. These organizations work diligently day in and day out, to assist healthcare providers in preventing nosocomial infections and these updates are intended to assist in ensuring we are doing the right things within our centers.  

One of the recommendations is that hand hygiene supplies need to be readily available to caregivers. This includes ensuring that ABHS dispensers are unambiguous, visible, and accessible, and that private rooms have at least 2 dispensers, one in the hallway and one in the resident room. I was pleased to see that the experts took into consideration that some residents are not safe with ABHS at the bedside. Their recommendation is that residents be evaluated for the risk of intentional consumption. For those at risk, it is recommended that only dispensers that allow limited numbers of activations within short periods of time be installed in high-risk areas. 

Another recommendation is to ensure appropriate glove use, educate, AND CONFIRM the ability of staff to doff (remove) gloves in a manner that avoids contamination. Why is this important? Research has shown is that we “think” we are taking our gloves off appropriately but many times we aren’t. This can and often does lead to the spread of infection, not what we want, right? It is your lucky day! HealthCap has a competency checklist available on our website! Please access the competency checklist and take a look at the other competency checklists and resources available to you! Use these checklists in conjunction with your QAPI committee, wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing to prevent even one infection! Stay well and stay safe! 

For more information check out our Resource and Education Center and Removing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Droplet Precautions