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The Advancing Infection Control Capacity and Education (ACE) Coaching to Certification project, a partnership between the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) team and Comagine Health, concluded September 30, 2024. A unique professional development opportunity for leading infection prevention and control (IPC) staff of Oregon’s long-term care facilities (LTCFs), ACE provided coaching, mentorship, and the resources necessary to prepare Oregon’s IPs to become certified in IPC through the Certification Board in Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC).
This two-and-a-half-year program supported more than 176 individuals through a series of live and on-demand test preparation sessions and the provision of professional memberships in the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), resource materials, and examination fees to support national certification for Infection Preventionists. A total of 24 Infection Preventionists completed an exam. At the time of the program’s end date, 10 ACE participants from LTCFs passed a CBIC exam, and four individuals auditing the course from health departments, non-LTCF settings, or organizations outside of the state also passed, resulting in an approximate 10% increase in the number of Oregon CBIC-certified professionals since 2023 - building IPC capacity in our long-term care communities.
In addition, according to the CBIC website, there are now CBIC-certified professionals in three rural Oregon cities where there weren’t before: Dallas, Roseburg, and Yamhill.
Here’s some feedback from ACE participants:
- "Every person working with IP should take this program.”
- “Best Program Ever!” **
- “Thank you for all you are doing to help us succeed in our jobs.”
The OHA HAI team hopes to offer the ACE program again in 2025 to a new group of Oregon’s long-term care IPs. We’ll be including our partners in this effort to maximize the potential impact of this opportunity. Stay tuned!
**We agree! 😄
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Need infection prevention support? Our experienced Infection Preventionists are here to help! Our team can offer expert guidance if you're managing an outbreak or looking to strengthen your infection prevention practices. Reach out for a consultation, and let us help you keep patients and staff safe!
- Learn how to triage a sick patient in this 7-minute video from OHA’s Project Firstline.
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Update: Oregon Carbapenemase-producing Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales cases through December 2024. View the full report.
Bar graph showing increasing trend of CP-CRE, 2010-2024
As we enter the new year, we want to acknowledge the impact of antimicrobial resistance in our communities. Patients and families affected by antibiotic-resistant infections have shared their powerful stories with the Infectious Diseases Society of America. These stories underscore the urgent need to address drug-resistant infections, one of the most pressing health challenges today.
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“Today, Kate Wilson is a perfectly healthy fifth grader from central Indiana. But when she was just nine months old, a deadly infection nearly took her life.”
Read Kate's story.
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 “I have taken care of many patients who have had extensive antibiotic resistance. These patients require our second, third, or fourth choice of antibiotics, which often have more side effects and are less effective. It's particularly distressing when we know this resistance has been caused by misusing antibiotics, such as for asymptomatic bacteria in the urine, sinusitis, or bronchitis.”
- Amy Dechet, MD, Infectious Diseases Physician, Faculty of Internal Medicine Residency Program at Portland Providence Medical Center
Read more from Dr. Dechet and others in Stories from the Field.
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Penicillin Allergy Management Educational Module
If you’ve been following our newsletter, you’ve heard that penicillin allergies in patient records can often be incorrect and present a barrier to optimal antibiotic prescribing.
Patients with penicillin allergies are more likely to be treated with second-line antibiotics, which may lead to longer hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, and the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics that have been associated with the development of antimicrobial resistance.
This course will offer the opportunity to learn practical skills in penicillin allergy history taking, risk assessment, penicillin allergy testing, and delabeling.
CE credit is offered for physicians, pharmacists, and advanced practice providers.
Communication is crucial in improving antibiotic prescribing practices, reducing unnecessary harm, and ensuring patient satisfaction. By having clear, empathetic discussions, clinicians can guide patients toward the best treatment while maintaining trust and satisfaction.
Several factors contribute to this, including pressure from patients or parents and a desire to maintain trust with their patients and ensure customer satisfaction. Many clinicians perceive that patients expect antibiotics, but research shows this is not always true. For example, parents may be seeking reassurance that their child’s condition is not serious and advice on how to relieve symptoms, not necessarily antibiotics.
While some patients and families expect antibiotics, patients who are given a clear explanation of why they are not needed, offered alternative treatment options, and provided a plan for follow-up care are more likely to be satisfied by their visit. A study found that communication training for family physicians resulted in a sustained reduction in antibiotic prescribing for more than three years.
To ensure clear, effective communication and promote appropriate antibiotic prescribing, clinicians can adopt the following strategies:
 By adopting these communication strategies, clinicians can reduce the risk of inappropriate antibiotic use, improve patient satisfaction, and foster a more collaborative and trusting relationship with their patients. This improves individual patient outcomes and helps combat the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.
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Get to know the exceptional members of the HAI team.
Pam Bruhn serves as the Region 7 & 9 Infection Preventionist for the HAI team, covering central, south central, and eastern Oregon from her home in John Day, Grant County. In her role, she collaborates with infection preventionists, operational directors, nurses, and other staff from long-term care facilities and critical access hospitals, focusing on preventing and managing outbreaks of respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. She coordinates a monthly “power hour” meeting with peers from the Oregon Health Authority's HAI program to foster education and camaraderie among rural healthcare professionals.
Pam earned her master’s in nursing as an adult nurse practitioner in 1996. Before joining OHA in 2020, she specialized in cardiac surgery, heart transplantation, and cardiology. Her journey into infection prevention began in 2019 when she filled a vacancy in the infection prevention and control program at John Day’s Critical Access Hospital. Her past collaboration with infectious disease physicians ignited her interest in the field. Pam brings a unique perspective to the HAI team by highlighting the distinct culture of rural Oregon, where residents often have different beliefs and perceptions than their urban counterparts. During her work throughout the pandemic, she encountered skepticism about COVID-19 and preventive measures. Despite these challenges, she dedicated her efforts to educating the public and fostering collaboration among healthcare providers.
Beyond her professional life, Pam describes herself as an introverted science enthusiast who relishes in teaching complex topics in a way that's accessible to others. She enjoys nature and lives on an acre of land near Little Canyon Mountain. Her sanctuary is her patio, where she spends tranquil weekends with her pets, appreciating the serenity of her surroundings.
“Many believe living life is about being busy with things to do, I have come to learn that stop, use your senses and listen, watch and just being in the moment is a magnificent element of living life to its fullest!” – Pam Bruhn.
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 Pam's pets: 3 photos of gray and tabby cats, 1 photo of black and tan dog
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Oregon Health Authority works to transform the health care system in Oregon by lowering and containing costs, improving quality and increasing access to care to improve the lifelong health of Oregonians. OHA is overseen by the nine-member citizen Oregon Health Policy Board working toward comprehensive health reform in our state.
The HAI program within the OHA Public Health Division is dedicated to preventing and containing healthcare associated infections (HAIs) and addressing the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AR). Through initiatives such as the Antimicrobial Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) and the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), we are bolstering our ability to detect and respond to antibiotic resistance while strengthening the nation's most widely used HAI tracking system. We also focus on antibiotic stewardship to improve the appropriate use of antibiotics, and we provide comprehensive infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training to equip the health care workforce with the necessary skills. Our team further offers IPC consultations to health care facilities throughout the state, providing expert guidance and support in implementing effective infection prevention strategies and responding to outbreaks. Together, we are committed to enhancing patient safety and reducing the impact of HAIs and antimicrobial resistance.
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