HHAs jump into action as first line of defense against swine flu
Re-education of basic infection control practices serves as first step
Increased education and diligent observation of families and patients are the key steps initially taken by home health staff members to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu (swine flu) among home health patients, staff, and family members.
The threat of swine flu at the end of the seasonal flu period does make it more challenging for staff members, points out Mary Foronda, RN, director of employee health and infection control for Metropolitan Jewish Health System in Brooklyn, NY. "Home health staff members are already watching family members and patients for signs and symptoms of flu, but staff members are now more diligent and conduct a more detailed assessment if someone has a cough, fever, or other flu symptoms," she explains.
Preventing the spread of the illness is one of the key goals of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and frequent hand washing is one of the primary recommendations. "Our home health staff have an excellent rate of compliance with hand washing guidelines, but we are reminding everyone to constantly re-educate patients and their families," says Mary Wagner, RN, BSN, MEd, vice president of clinical practice at Metropolitan Jewish Home Care. Information about swine flu and the importance of hand washing and other ways to prevent transmission of the flu are shared at team meetings, she points out. Infection control is a continuous effort within the home care agency, but it is important to remind everyone of basic procedures at a time like this, she says. "The degree of publicity about swine flu makes staff members, patients, and family members more receptive to the education," she admits.
Community education is the most important role home health can play in potential pandemics, says Andrea Brown, vice president of operations for PHC Services in Yonkers, NY. "Public health announcements through the media are helpful, but home health employees can enhance the information and make it more meaningful to patients and their families," she says.
When cases of swine flu were first reported in New York City, Brown's staff began calling all patients with information about symptoms and advice on how to protect themselves and how to avoid spreading the infection if they felt ill. Staff members were contacted with information about symptoms and were reminded to be aware of potential symptoms in patients and patients' family members, she adds. "We did have one paraprofessional who arrived at the home on Monday and discovered that the patient had developed flu-like symptoms over the weekend. She was able to get the patient to the doctor on Monday to be tested for swine flu," she says. Luckily, the patient's test was negative, but the staff member's quick action alleviated anxiety and uncertainty for the patient and family members, she points out.
In addition to asking staff members to pay close attention to patients and their families, supervisors and managers also ask staff members to be aware of potential exposure or infection in their own families, says Brown. "If an aide's child becomes sick, we don't have that aide available to care for patients, because he or she must stay home with the sick child," she says.
Although no employees have missed work due to swine flu, sick calls from employees are being monitored carefully to document symptoms and identify potential flu victims if necessary, says Foronda. Documenting reasons for sick days is an important part of any emergency plan to help predict potential staff shortages, as well as identify potential exposure to other people and patients, she adds.
Addressing potential work shortages is part of Brown's agency emergency plan; in the case of a pandemic. "This is a great time for everyone to review their emergency plan, in fact, all of our clinicians have been told to pull out the plan and make sure they are prepared for the next steps in the plan," she says. Next steps include identification of priority patients, ensuring care by family members for other patients, notification of other agencies for which PHC services provides assistance of potential shortages, and use of respirator masks if necessary, she says.
Although patient care is a priority, Brown points out that home health agencies must not forget employees and their families. "Because we are medical care providers, we tend to focus on patients and their families. In a pandemic situation, we must also focus on our employees and their families, because if we forget to make sure they are protected, we lose our workforce."
Sources/resources
For more information about pandemic preparation, contact:
Andrea Brown, Vice President of Operations, PHC Services, 1 Executive Blvd., #1, Yonkers, NY 10701. Phone: (914) 423-6410. E-mail: [email protected].
Mary Wagner, RN, BSN, MEd, Vice President, Clinical Practice, Metropolitan Jewish Home Care, 6323 Seventh Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11220. E-mail: [email protected].
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's web site on swine flu contains daily updates on the spread of the disease and guidance for the prevention and treatment of the disease. A special section for clinicians provides guidance on treatment of special audiences, including young children, patients with cardiovascular disease, and immuno-suppressed patients. Go to www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ for the main page of information. To find specific guidance papers for specific audiences, select "Guidance" on the left navigational bar.
The Homecare Association of New York offers an emergency preparedness web site specifically for home care providers. Go to www.homecareprepare.org and select "pandemic" in the top navigational bar. A list of information links as well as planning tools to prepare for a pandemic are available.
Increased education and diligent observation of families and patients are the key steps initially taken by home health staff members to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu (swine flu) among home health patients, staff, and family members.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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