- AHCA/NCAL - Tips for Meeting the Linen Requirements in SNF
- Antibiotic Stewardship ~ Superior Health Quality Alliance ~ Front Line Forces
- California Department of Public Health Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Program
- CDC ~ Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI)
- CDC ~ Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes
- CDC ~ Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices
- CDC ~ Health Department Resources for LTCFs
- CDC ~ SNF Infection Prevention Tools
- CDC ~ Tools for Healthcare Settings
- CDC ~ National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
- CDC ~ NHSN LTC Vaccination webpage
- CDC ~ Person-Level COVID-19 Vaccination Forms: A How-To Guide (NHSN)
- CDC - Updated Respiratory Virus Guidance
- CMS ~ ICP CEP LTC Survey Pathways Survey Resources
- Clostridioides Difficile (CDI) ~ Superior Health Quality Alliance ~ Front Line Forces
- Hand Hygiene ~ Superior Health Quality Alliance ~ Front Line Forces
- Mobility Equipment: a Breeding Ground for Germs? ~ PDI
- Quick Reference Guide: COVID-19 Guidance ~ PharMerica ~ 2022
- Tips for Meeting the Infection Preventionist Requirements in Skilled Nursing and Long-Term Care Facilities
- Wisconsin HAI IP Starter Kit
The proper handling, storing, processing, and transporting of all linens and laundry is necessary to produce hygienically clean laundry and reduce the risk of spreading infections in LTC.,1,2 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations 3 require facilities to develop policies and procedures to educate staff
about linens and laundry services that address how personnel must “handle, store, process, and transport linen so as to prevent the spread of infection.” CMS Surveyors will review the facilities’ policy and procedures about linen and laundry handling.4 The facility must monitor to ensure that the laundry practices are implemented, any deviations from practices should be identified, and corrective actions are put in place.
Front Line Forces: Antibiotic Stewardship
Resources developed by state health departments to assist healthcare personnel with preventing infections in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care facilities.
Monitoring Adherence to Health Care Practices that Prevent Infection
- Make use of “secret shoppers.” Monitoring by a designated staff member, such as the infection preventionist, may result in inflated adherence percentages.
- Calculate an ‘adherence percentage’ after each monitoring session. Share performance data with staff and leadership to gain support for infection prevention interventions.
- Conduct adherence monitoring and provide feedback to frontline staff on a regular basis to assess improvement over time, increase compliance, and prevent HAI.
CDC’s Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings
Guideline for Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections (2009)
CDC’s Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings
Updates
Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes
Antibiotic stewardship refers to a set of commitments and actions designed to “optimize the treatment of infections while reducing the adverse events associated with antibiotic use.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all nursing homes take steps to improve antibiotic prescribing practices and outlined practical ways to initiate or expand antibiotic stewardship activities in nursing homes.
CDC’s Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings
Adherence to infection prevention and control practices is essential to providing safe and high quality patient care across all settings where healthcare is delivered
This document concisely describes a core set of infection prevention and control practices that are required in all healthcare settings, regardless of the type of healthcare provided. The practices were selected from among existing CDC recommendations and are the subset that represent fundamental standards of care that are not expected to change based on emerging evidence or to be regularly altered by changes in technology or practices, and are applicable across the continuum of healthcare settings. The practices outlined in this document are intended to serve as a standard reference and reduce the need to repeatedly evaluate practices that are considered basic and accepted as standards of medical care. Readers should consult the full texts of CDC healthcare infection control guidelines for background, rationale, and related infection prevention recommendations for more comprehensive information.
Health Department Resources for LTCFs
Resources developed by state health departments to assist healthcare personnel with preventing infections in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care facilities.
SNF Infection Prevention Tools
Resources to assist clinicians, administrators, and health department personnel with preventing infections in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care facilities
Tools for Healthcare Settings
Infection Control Assessment Tools
Use these tools to
- assess infection prevention practices
- guide quality improvement
Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Infection Control Assessment and Response Tools
For more information on the TAP strategy and for prevention tools, see the Targeted Assessment for Prevention (TAP) Strategy page on the HAI website.
Targeted Assessment for Prevention (TAP) Strategy
The TAP strategy is a method developed by the CDC to use data for action to prevent healthcare-associated infections. The TAP strategy targets healthcare facilities and specific units within facilities with a disproportionate burden of HAIs so that gaps in infection can be addressed.
For more information, see the Infection Control Assessment Tool page on the HAI website.
CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network is the nation’s most widely used healthcare-associated infection tracking system. NHSN provides facilities, states, regions, and the nation with data needed to identify problem areas, measure progress of prevention efforts, and ultimately eliminate healthcare-associated infections.
In addition, NHSN allows healthcare facilities to track blood safety errors and important healthcare process measures such as healthcare personnel influenza vaccine status and infection control adherence rates.
Resources for Users New to NHSN: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
Continuing Education (CE) Credit: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
Request CDC Led Training: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
Educational Roadmaps
The NHSN Educational Roadmaps will provide a guided tour of the training materials and information needed to provide a solid foundation of NHSN – from the basics to more advanced training for each individual component or protocol. Below is a list of NHSN components, in each component is a selection of educational and supplemental materials and tools to improve your comprehension of NHSN surveillance definitions, reporting, and analysis (while supporting your work as an NHSN user). To begin this learning experience, select the component below. This training should be used after the enrollment/activation process. If you have not enrolled into NHSN please enroll here.
NHSN Educational Roadmaps: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
- Patient Safety: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
training/roadmap/psc-roadmap. html This roadmap has three (3) sections, PSC Training Basics, PSC Module Training and PSC Data Entry and Analysis. - Healthcare Personnel Safety: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
training/roadmap/hcp-roadmap. html This roadmap has two (2) sections, Healthcare Personnel Safety Protocol and Healthcare Personnel Safety Facility Types. - Dialysis: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
training/roadmap/dialysis- roadmap.html This roadmap has two (2) sections, Dialysis Event Module Training Basics and Dialysis Event Module Training Guides. - Neonatal: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
training/roadmap/neonatal- roadmap.html This Roadmap includes information on Late-Onset Sepsis/Meningitis (LOS/MEN) Event Protocol - Biovigilance: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
training/roadmap/bv-roadmap. html This roadmap has two (2) sections, Hemovigilance Foundation and Forms, Table of Instructions, and Additional Training and Resources. - Long-Term Care Facility: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
training/roadmap/ltc-roadmap. html This roadmap has three (3) sections, LTC Foundation, Modules/Protocols and Analysis. - Outpatient Procedure: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
training/roadmap/opc-roadmap. html This Roadmap includes information on Outpatient Procedure Component (OPC) and Analysis, Same Day Outcome Measure, OPC – Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Reporting Requirements
- How to enter vaccination data | Quick Reference Guide: How to Enter Data for Long-Term Care Facilities (cdc.gov) https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/
ltc/covidvax/how-to-enter- data-ltcf-508.pdf
- Vaccination data collection form | Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Summary Form for Residents at LTCFs (57.218): https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
forms/COVIDVax.LTC_.Resident. FORM_May2022-508.pdf
- Vaccination data collection form | Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Summary Form for Healthcare Personnel at LTCFs (57.219) https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
forms/COVIDVax.HCP_.FORM_ May2022-508.pdf
- Vaccination data collection forms tables of instructions | Table of Instructions – Residents: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
forms/instr/COVIDVax.LTC_. Residents.TOI_.MAY2022-508.pdf
- Vaccination data collection forms tables of instructions | Table of Instructions – HCP: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/
forms/instr/COVIDVax.Staff_. Revised.TOI_.MAY2022-508.pdf
- Key terms and up to date definition document | COVID-19 Vaccination Modules: Understanding Key Terms and Up to date Vaccination: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/
hps/covidvax/UpToDateGuidance- 508.pdf
- Operational tips | Operational Guidance Tips and Tricks 013023 (cdc.gov): https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/
hps/covidvax/tips-c19-vax-508. pdf
As the threat from COVID-19 becomes more similar to that of other common respiratory viruses, CDC is issuing RespiratoryVirus Guidance, rather than additional virus-specifi c guidance.
This brings a unified, practical approach to addressing risk froma range of common respiratory viral illnesses, such as influenza and RSV, that have similar routes of transmission and symptoms and similar prevention strategies. The updated guidance on steps to prevent spread when you are sick particularly reflects the key reality that many people with respiratory virus symptoms do not know the specific virus they are infected with. Importantly, states and countries that have already shortened recommended isolation times have not seen increased hospitalizations or deaths related to COVID-19. Although increasingly similar to other respiratory viruses, some differences remain, such as the risk of post-COVID conditions.
ICP CEP LTC Survey Pathways Survey Resources
Front Line Forces: Clostridioides Difficile (CDI)
- Staff watch a short training video
- This module includes a test your knowledge quiz
- The quiz taker provides some basic information including an email address
- After completing the quiz, staff click the submit button, the page displays the quiz score and a list of questions they got incorrect along with the correct answers
- A score of 80% or better indicates understanding of the module content. If this is not achieved it is recommended the staff watch the training video again or seek additional training from their supervisor
- An email indicating completion of the knowledge quiz will be sent to the email provided, this email indicates the module name and score received
- Please note: Superior Health Quality Alliance (Superior Health) does not offer continuing education credits for completion
Front Line Forces: Hand Hygiene
- Staff watch a short training video
- This module includes a test your knowledge quiz
- The quiz taker provides some basic information including an email address
- After completing the quiz, staff click the submit button, the page displays the quiz score and a list of questions they got incorrect along with the correct answers
- A score of 80% or better indicates understanding of the module content. If this is not achieved it is recommended the staff watch the training video again or seek additional training from their supervisor
- An email indicating completion of the knowledge quiz will be sent to the email provided, this email indicates the module name and score received
- Please note: Superior Health Quality Alliance (Superior Health) does not offer continuing education credits for completion
Mobility Equipment: a Breeding Ground for Germs?
Medical mobility equipment is widely used, making it a high-touch surface for both patients and staff in healthcare facilities. Unfortunately, the current lack of disinfection protocols for wheelchairs and the frequent transfer between patients means that these devices can often result in preventable skin problems for those who use them.
Because a high cost is associated with this necessary equipment, it is essential to effectively disinfect it without causing damage. In this recent article from Cleaning & Maintenance Magazine, PDI’s very own EVS expert Julie Nakos, Director of National Accounts, provides guidance on how to choose a compatible disinfectant for mobility devices.
This quick reference guide is designed to give you a fast and easy way to find the latest infection prevention guidance for your facility. For more detailed information about any of the practices outlined, click on the links for access to the full text.
- Outbreak Definition
- Masking
- PPE
- TBP
- Room Assignment
- Testing
- Visitors
- Communal Dining and Activities
Tips for Meeting the Infection Preventionist Requirements in Skilled Nursing and Long-Term Care Facilities
This series of overviews provides infection preventionists (IPs) with an easy-to-use “starter kit” containing background and resources for some of the many infection prevention-related responsibilities. This is not a replacement for any facility-specific orientation, but rather a supplement to enhance your learning.
The format is divided into suggested learning tasks based on the knowledge of experienced IPs across the continuum of care; the tasks can be done in any order that is convenient for you.
Content was drafted by staff at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Healthcare- Associated Infections (HAI) Prevention Program and MetaStar, Inc. with additional editorial support by the Wisconsin HAI Prevention Advisory Committee.