APIC guide highlights role of ambulatory care in disaster response
A new publication by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) zeros in on the role of outpatient care facilities in responding to disasters—specifically, how they can prevent infection in their patients, staff, and the community at large. The guide, “Infection Prevention for Ambulatory Care Centers During…
Editorial
Despite increasingly stiff penalties, health care-associated infections persist. Total annual costs for the 5 major health care-associated infections are $9.8 billion, say researchers led by Eyal Zimlichman, MD, of the Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. Surgical site infections rack up about…
Sterile processing questions and answers
Answers to some of the questions asked at several recent annual meetings, notably AORN, APIC (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology), and IAHCSMM (International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management), are offered by sterilization expert Martha Young. Also included are questions from seminars and webinars she has…
Follow protocols when using medications from compounding pharmacies
Compounding pharmacies have long been valued for their ability to tailor prescription drugs for specific patients. More recently, they have helped conserve scarce drugs by redistributing them from larger to smaller single-use vials. For an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) that is not associated with a hospital and therefore has no…
Unprocessed tray incident prompts investigation, leads to process improvements
The circulating nurse was cleaning up after surgery in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) when she noticed the internal chemical indicator (a Class 5 integrating indicator) had not reached its appropriate endpoint response, which is a pass. That meant an unprocessed instrument tray had been used on the patient. Her…
ASCs must prepare to meet latest CMS infection control expectations
A perennial concern associated with surgery is avoidance of infection. As science reveals new risks and remedies, protocols change and so do regulations. To monitor infection control at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), surveyors use a 15-page worksheet from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The ASC Infection Control…
New AORN recommendations focus on infection prevention, patient safety
AORN leaders’ efforts over the past few years have led to evidence-rated recommendations for some of the 2013 Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices (RPs), representing “landmark progress in the evolution of recommended practices,” according to Ramona Conner, MSN, RN, CNOR, manager of the standards and recommended practices. Conner introduced speakers…
Upping the game for OR cleaning with monitoring and partnerships
All ORs have protocols for cleaning between cases and at the end of the day’s schedule. But constant vigilance is needed to make sure cleaning is thorough and carried out consistently. Though an OR may look clean, studies have shown there’s room for improvement. For example, only 25% of OR…
OR zone system: A fast and effective way to clean
A protocol using color-coded zones has yielded a more thorough, efficient cleaning process for one 17-room OR. The OR leaders knew they had to step up cleaning as part of an effort to reduce surgical site infection (SSI) rates and to accomplish between-case cleaning more systematically. The answer: Divide each…
Could technology lend a hand in cleaning of ORs?
Manual cleaning is performed by humans, and thus will always be imperfect. Could technology lend a hand? Some hospitals and a few ORs are adopting an extra disinfection step—employing robot-like machines that can disinfect an entire room. The machines are meant to augment—not replace—manual cleaning. These technologies have some compelling…
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