MDH HAI Update - May 2017

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Update

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May 2017


Quiz Question

Which of the following have been associated with drug diversions?

a) Nurses
b) Environmental services staff
c) Patients
d) Doctors
e) Radiology technicians
f) All of the above

Scroll down for answer!


Calling all long-term care providers! Free Injection Safety Training and Workshop

Join us on June 16 in Saint Paul for an Injection Safety Training and Workshop for long-term care providers. This free training will give participants the tools to review injection safety practices within their facility and create an injection safety program. The training is limited to 45 participants, so register today!


CME/CE opportunities from CDC: Activities on infection control and perinatal sepsis

Health care workers can help prevent infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. CDC and Medscape launched a series of CME/CE activities addressing infection control procedures in health care facilities. The first activity is available now and a new activity will be added each month. You can access the series at Medscape. You must be a registered Medscape member and registration is free.

CDC’s next Tune in to Safe Healthcare webinar is on Wednesday, May 17, at 10 a.m. CDT. This webinar will cover the importance of implementing protocols for early recognition and management of perinatal sepsis. It is free and continuing education credit is available.


Surgical site infection (SSI) news

CDC recently released the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 2017. The authors conducted a systematic review to indicate the quality and strength of evidence for each recommendation. The prior guideline, published in 1999, relied heavily on expert opinion, while the new guideline is evidence-based to the extent possible.

Save the date for the Wisconsin Surgical Site Infection Prevention Summit V: Collaboration as a Pathway to Improving Patient Outcomes. The summit is Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Darrell A. Campbell, Jr., director of the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative and professor emeritus at the University of Michigan Medical School, will be the keynote speaker. Contact Heidi Brittnacher at hbrittna@mcw.edu or 414-805-9427 for more information.


Clean Hands Count!

Hand hygiene is the single most important action health care workers can take to protect themselves and their patients from infections. CDC’s Clean Hands Count Campaign aims to improve health care provider adherence to hand hygiene standards and empower patients.

The Clean Hands Count campaign has great resources to help promote hand hygiene for providers and the public. The campaign offers educational courses and a promotional video (on YouTube) for health care providers. You can also order free Clean Hands Count materials, such as stickers, fact sheets, and posters.


Quiz Answer

The correct answer is f – all of those groups have been associated with drug diversion.

Anyone can be a drug diverter, but health care workers are at particular risk to divert medications because of their access to controlled substances. Drug diversion directly harms patients by denying essential pain medication or therapy, increasing infection risk, resulting in substandard care by an impaired health care worker, and more.

To learn more about drug diversion and what you can do to prevent it in your facility, join us at the Injection Safety Training and Workshop for long-term care providers on June 16 in Saint Paul. Additional resources and information are also available at the MDH Drug Diversion webpage.