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An Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel recently recommended that fit-tested N95 respirators rather than surgical masks be worn by health care workers treating H1N1 pandemic influenza A patients.
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To an "IP Newbie," review and updating of infection prevention and control policy and procedures (P&P) can be a daunting and superficially unrewarding task. Nevertheless, it is a vital duty and one that you must honor without fail.
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When we caught up with Sue Sebazco, RN, she was knee-deep in pandemic flu planning, but not necessarily missing the old days when infection preventionists and seemingly everybody else was busily working in their respective silos.
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With a vaccine on the way, it may be tempting to downplay the threat of pandemic H1N1 influenza A as it moves out of the Southern Hemisphere to spread in more favorable fall and winter conditions in the United States.
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The proposed federal bill HR 3200 America's Affordable Health Choices Act includes a section requiring reporting of health care-associated infections (HAIs). Key provisions are summarized as follows:
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The nuts and bolts of pandemic planning involve quantifiable items: Ventilators, respirators, antiviral medications, vaccine doses. But in the midst of drills and stockpiles and vaccine campaigns, don't forget about the psychosocial needs of your frontline employees.
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With a vaccine shortage projected for novel H1N1 influenza A, only the highest priority groups are likely to be offered the shot when initial lots are cleared for distribution this fall.
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Be prepared for a double strike of influenza this year - and a prolonged season of vaccination to combat it.
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One evening, ICU nurse Janet Braillard, RN, returned to work at Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo, CA, after being out with a respiratory illness and discovered a new memo. There was a shortage of N95 respirators, the hospital said, and nurses would need to place their respirators in a plastic bag, keep them in their lockers, and reuse them until they were visibly damaged or soiled.
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Fewer than half of health care workers receive their annual influenza immunization, according to federal surveys, despite a growing call for flu shots to protect patients as well as employees. Each year, hospitals gear up for annual flu campaigns but find they can spur little improvement in vaccination rates.
