Wednesday January 4, 2017
"Infection
Prevention"
An
Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP) is currently
required by Federal Regulations, that state all facilities must
establish a program that investigates, controls, and prevents
infections in the facility. The program, at a
minimum, would adopt procedures to follow with individual residents
such as residents exhibiting specific symptoms, or are diagnosed
with certain types of infections. The facility would also
be responsible for maintaining a record of any infectious incident
and what corrective measures were implemented to manage the
infection. The facility is also charged with the task of
determining ways to prevent the possible spread of infections to
other individuals within facility.
The Federal
Register/Vol. 81, No. 192/Tuesday, October 4, 2016/Rules and
Regulations indicate that CMS put the foundation in place for the
Infection Prevention rule changes. These changes will be
implemented in "Phases", Phase 1: timeframe is effective
date of the final rule November
28, 2016, Phase 2: 1 year following the effective date of the final
rule (November 2017), and Phase 3: 3 years following the effective
date of the final rule (November 2019).
Phase
1:
Each
facility must establish and maintain an infection prevention and
control program designed to provide:
-
a safe, sanitary, and comfortable environment and,
-
to help prevent the development and transmission of communicable
diseases and infections.
A system of
surveillance should be developed by each facility to identify
possible communicable diseases or infections before they can spread
to other persons in the facility. The plan for surveillance
may be a stand-alone policy or it may be included in the facility's
infection prevention and control program. The facility should: a)
identify what data should be collected; b)when the data should be
collected; c)how the data should be collected; d)how the data will
be analyzed; and e)how the results of the analyzed data will be
documented and implemented. This
is not an all-inclusive list and should be viewed as an example
only.
Phase
2:
Assessments
for Infection Control and Antibiotic Stewardship are two of the
items that will be required in this phase. Assessments for
Infection Control is an assessment tool
developed by the facility to evaluate the potential risk for
acquiring and transmitting infections, identifying opportunities
for improvement, identify threats to residents health and identify
gaps in facility practices. The assessment should be
completed by a multidisciplinary team and is one of the key
building blocks of the Infection Prevention and Control
Plan. The assessment is used to
establish goals and objectives, identify focus areas for
surveillance, prioritize infections and control activities and/or
initiatives. The Antibiotic Stewardship
Program includes protocols for
antibiotic use and a system to monitor antibiotic use. These policies and
practices are in place to protect residents and improve clinical
care as it relates to the use of antibiotics in nursing
homes.
Phase
3:
Infection
Control and Prevention Offices (ICPO) is defined as one or more
individuals who are responsible for the facility's Infection
Prevention and Control Program. Facilities should be
designating the ICPO in Phase 3. This individual(s) must:
Have primary professional training in nursing, medical technology,
microbiology, epidemiology, or other related field; be qualified by
education, training, experience or certification; work at least
part-time at the facility; have completed specialized training in
infection prevention and control; and participate in the quality
assessment and performance improvement committee. The individual designated
as the Infection Preventionist must be a member of the facility's
Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement committee with the
responsibility to report to the committee on the Infection
Prevention and Control Plan on a regular basis.
For more
comprehensive information on Infection Control and the Final Rule
including the Phases and Timelines for Implementation, you should
contact the Alabama Nursing Home Association for
Seminars/Trainings/Workshops or review the list of
references/resources provided below.
References:
Federal
Register/Vol. 81, No. 192/Tuesday, October 4, 2016/Rules and
Regulations
Alabama
Nursing Home Association Weekly Round Up
CDC
Long Term Care Antibiotic Stewardship
Arthur
J Gallagher & Co/12-2016
Wednesday January 4, 2017
AJG Educational Services will be hosting Alzheimer's Disease and
Dementia Training Seminars in four Alabama cities in 2017. These
seminars are required for those pursing CDP Certification and who
qualify through the National Council of Certified Dementia
Practitioners.
To see if you qualify please visit the NCCDP website at
www.nccdp.com. All participants must attend the entire seminar to
receive a certificate of completion and all participants will be
provided an application to apply for CDP (Certified Dementia
Practitioners) through the National Council of Certified Dementia
Practitioners.
Seminars will be held in Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, and
Huntsville later in the year.
Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Care
Seminar
July 13 & 14,
2017
Mobile, AL
Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Care
Seminar
October 19 & 20, 2017
Huntsville, AL