Having been an active participant during the COVID-19 pandemic, a seasoned infection preventionist (IP) shares her insights on the instrumental role collaboration between infection prevention and control (IPC) teams can play in fostering efficiencies and promoting patient safety.
Providing real-world lessons, she uses her experiences to highlight ways in which IPC programs can be bolstered to better withstand future crises.
On January 20, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the arrival of a new pathogen, later identified as SARS-CoV-2, in the United States. The infection preventionist recounts how her team had been closely monitoring the situation in Wuhan, China, and felt a combination of anticipation and concern about the novel respiratory virus and its potential effects on the US healthcare system.
Through the following months, demands on the IP experts’ times escalated sharply as frontline health professionals and the public sought advice and information on COVID-19 prevention. To manage the workload, the diverse skills within the team, including nursing, microbiology and public health, were leveraged. The team adjusted to handle the variety of tasks related to COVID-19.
The importance of a solid IPC foundation before a crisis manifests was underlined by the pandemic. With such a foundation, healthcare organizations are better positioned to adjust operations smoothly during emergencies. In this regard, proactive integration of IPC within standard operations and emergency preparedness plans is key. Importantly, fostering positive relationships over time between the IPC department and various hospital departments will enrich the IPC initiatives’ adoption and adhesion during crises.
In light of this, organizations should focus on strengthening IPC programs by emphasizing three core principles: leadership support, training and education, and routine monitoring. By doing so, they can foster a quality culture, making IPC an integral part of healthcare delivery.
While these concepts seem simple, implementing them requires concerted intra-departmental collaboration and mutual respect for expertise across disciplines. The aim is to align the entire workforce under a shared objective, promote quality, and eliminate isolation walls between departments. This will establish a robust and resilient framework within the healthcare organization.
Source: https://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/view/turning-crisis-catalyst-an-ip-s-perspective-leveraging-insights-covid-19-pandemic-enhance-ipc-program-operations