INFECTION PREVENTION
to everyone who will be on the frontline dealing with these situations.” Mays points out how it is impossible to keep all of BJC HealthCare’s 28,000 employees completely up to date and prepared to deal with the next outbreak. Instead, they have as- sembled core teams within the ER, intensive care unit (ICU) and the lab and other key areas who receive intense, ongoing training so they are fully prepared to deal with an emergency when it arises.
“What we discovered is that it is better to have select groups of staff members to keep trained up versus trying to keep everybody trained,” said Mays. “A good example is Ebola, which requires very intense training on how to don and doff personal PPE. It has to be done correctly because there is no margin of error. These core groups receive this sort of training so that they are ready to respond and be safe whenever the time comes.”
Remember the basics
Hank Carbone, Senior Marketing Manager, Ecolab Healthcare says one challenge is en- suring healthcare workers remain calm and reminding them to practice the basics such as: • Follow hand hygiene best practices and do it properly
• Wear PPE • Use safe practices during injections • Practice safe handling of potentially con- taminated equipment and surfaces
• Practice good respiratory hygiene “If you think of headline-grabbing patho- gens, like Ebola, or more recent organisms of concern, like Candida auris, all of these standard precautions are important to help keep healthcare workers and patients safe,” said Carbone. Ecolab’s OxyCide Daily Disinfectant Cleaner is an ideal product for emergency/outbreak response, as well as for every day daily use. It kills 33 organisms* in five minutes or less, including Clostridium difficile spores in just three minutes, and meets EPA and CDC guidance for cleaning and disinfecting against Candida auris. It is formulated for daily use by environmental service teams, giving you daily preven- tive protection against C. diff and other organisms of concern. It dries without residue to leave surfaces clean looking and is compatible with most healthcare surfaces. *See EPA product label for a complete list of claims and usage instructions. EPA Reg #1677-237*
PPE removal
“Key to successfully managing through any hospital emergency or community outbreak is not only providing appropriate PPE, but
ensuring that adequate staff training has oc- curred,” said Sheila Mays, RN, BSN, CASC, Executive Clinical Nurse Consultant, Möln- lycke Health Care. “Pathogenic substances can be transmitted after patient care when healthcare workers remove their personal protective equipment.”
In a controlled study, the quantity of virus
transfer to hands during PPE removal was measured. In each of the single and double glove phases, PPE were contaminated with bacteriophage and samples were collected upon removal of the equipment. The study re- sults demonstrated single-gloves significantly transferred virus more frequently to partici- pants’ hands during PPE removal than double gloves (78% vs 23%, p <0.007). 3
The CDC
recognizes virus transfer as a potential risk and recommends double gloving when handling confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola.4
Mölnlycke of-
fers the Biogel double-gloving system in both la-
tex and synthetic sterile surgical gloves. The color of the inner glove is optimized based on the color physics maximizing the sensitivity of the human eye. The puncture indication size is designed to grow quickly and provide a large, visual alert from a distance for the wearer. Faster identification of a breach leads the HCW to change their PPE for optimal protection.
Staff considerations
OxyCide Daily Disinfectant Cleaner
Dupont says there are many other staff con- siderations beyond keeping individuals safe from an infection during an outbreak. One challenge is maintaining staffing levels in times of crisis. Healthcare organizations must decide on shift length, where staff members can safely rest and recover, and how quickly they can come back onto a shift. Dupont says there is a great deal of time and thought that goes into estab- lishing the staffing patterns necessary to provide safe patient care.
Another consideration is having provi- sions for staff members who cannot go home during an outbreak, or don’t want
to go home and potentially place family members at risk for exposure and infection. Healthcare facilities should identify a place for these employees to sleep and shower, address the need for a change of clothes, meals and access to any prescribed medications. “Think of frontline staff members for example, who are single parents or who are caretakers at home,” said Dupont. “In extreme and prolonged crisis situations healthcare organizations should be prepared to make
26 July 2017 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com
provisions so that these individuals can en- sure their children are cared for while they are working so they are not burdened with the concern about what’s going on at home.”
Mölnlycke's Biogel Puncture Indication System
Keeping comfortable Healthmark Industries has added Cool Aids to their PPE line of products. Matthew Smith, Marketing Manager for Healthmark said there are few better ways to beat the heat within the CS/SPD or operat- ing room than these lightweight, latex free cooling devices. Staff simply sub- merge the headgear or neckband in cold water for two-three minutes, and then enjoy hours of cool temps. For additional heat relief, pair in one of the Cool Aids vests, which utilize cold packs core body cooling. “Often, infection preventionists are wearing so much personal protection equipment during an outbreak crisis that they will find themselves very hot and uncomfortable,” Smith said. “They face the challenge of how to keep themselves cool while wearing the necessary equipment to keep themselves safe. Products such as Cool Aids can be comfortably worn under PPE to provide cooling relief for hours. Beanies, skull caps, neckwear and cooling vests are available for important areas of the body for regulating core body temperature.”
Healthmark’s Cool Aids
Prepare now for the future Dupont adds that healthcare organizations that are planning or currently engaged in construction projects or renovations should consider how they can work emergency preparedness into their plans.
“Opportunities may arise for building changes that can make the environment safer, more secure, and better apt to handle a patient or multiple patients with increased efficiency,” said Dupont. “For example, we were in the process of building a new hospital tower, including an emergency department. In light of our previous experience receiving suspected Ebola patients a decision was made to revise the original plans to include a de- contamination room equipped with a shower connected to an isolation room so that patients who may be potentially contaminated can be safely escorted into the facility with the least amount of exposure to others. The area also allows staff members to have a place to comfortably put on their personal protective equipment and when finished safely change out of contaminated gear.” HPN
Visit
www.hpnonline.com/no-crash-courses- crisis-management for references.
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