The January 2019 issue of the ICCS Infection Prevention & Control Newsletter has published.
The issue includes tips on skip prep, peel pouches and enzymatic detergents and reports on innovations, AORN guidelines changes, virtual tool for cancer patients, dangers of infection during delivery and antibiotic resistance.
Access the latest issue of our infection prevention newsletter.
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The Joint Commission has launched a new Speak Up campaign on infection prevention.
"Speak Up To Prevent Infection" offers free, downloadable materials for consumers and healthcare providers to strengthen patient involvement in their own care. The campaign focuses on ways to prevent the risk and spread of infection. They cover hand hygiene, avoiding others when ill, covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and keeping vaccinations current.
Educational resources available include an infographic, video and a guide to help providers effectively use the infographic and video as part of their infection prevention program.
The Speak Up program, launched in 2002, is used in more than 70 countries. As an acronym, SPEAK UP stands for:
Speak up
Pay attention
Educate yourself
Advocates (family members and friends) can help
Know about your new medicine
Use a quality health care organization
Participate in all decisions about your care
Learn more about Speak Up.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation recently announced the launch of a virtual tool designed to help cancer patients reduce their infection risk.
The educational tool uses virtual human technology to strengthen patient-provider conversations about a chemotherapy side effect that may increase infection risk. Known as neutropenia, it is a decrease in the number of white blood cells — the body's main defense against infection. Chemotherapy kills cancer cells as well as white blood cells.
The new tool, called TINA, is a free mobile app available for Apple and Android devices. It can also be accessed via web browser. TINA features two role-play conversations in which providers and patients interact with fully articulated and emotionally responsive virtual humans.
The conversations available are:
Training for Infection and Neutropenia Awareness (TINA) — Offers providers a training environment to practice conversations with cancer patients about neutropenia.
Talking about Infection and Neutropenia Awareness (TINA) — A virtual provider answers patient questions about infection risk how they can protect themselves.
"People dealing with a cancer diagnosis are incredibly overwhelmed with information, yet learning about the steps they can take to lower their risk of infection during chemotherapy is critical," said Lisa Richardson, MD, MPH, director of CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, in a news release. "TINA is the first-ever tool developed to engage both patients and providers in an educational and informative way. Our hope is that TINA can help facilitate more effective communication about this serious side effect of chemotherapy."