Non-COVID Outbreaks in Healthcare Facilities:
Lessons Learned
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Date: Thursday, April 27, 2023
Time: 1000 PT, 1100 MT/SK, 1200 CT, 1300 ET, 1400 AT, 1430 NL
Duration: 1 Hour
THIS WEBINAR IS FOR IPAC CANADA MEMBERS
Description
The COVID-19 pandemic and additional emerging pathogen threats will continue to challenge health care facilities with preventing infection and keeping staff and patients safe. While focusing key resources with preventing harm from these agents, there is a never-ending risk of outbreaks occurring due to, inadvertently overlooking, or being distracted from, other potential harms such as:
- Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs)
- C. difficile
- Norovirus
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
- Lower Respiratory Tract Infections (LRTIs)
- Device-associated infections
As the pandemic ensues, healthcare facilities are home to patients with multiple co-morbidities, in a setting with staffing challenges, low hand hygiene adherence, environmental hygiene challenges, antimicrobial resistance, and substandard vaccine compliance that allows both patients and staff to be vulnerable to pathogen acquisition.
This presentation will discuss and explore non-COVID outbreaks in the acute care, long-term care, and behavioral health settings. Lessons learned and proactive strategies that focus on evidenced-based interventions to prevent infection and outbreak occurrences, and regulatory deficiencies will be discussed.
During this sixty-minute interactive webinar, the participant will obtain heightened knowledge with bolstering their infection prevention program on their acute care, long-term care, and behavioral health units.
Objectives:
- Identify two evidenced-based interventions to prevent outbreaks from occurring.
- Describe one intervention to halt an outbreak.
- Discuss the importance of continual readiness with thwarting outbreaks from occurring.
Presenters:
STEVEN J. SCHWEON RN, MPH, MSN, CIC, LTC-CIP, CPHQ, FSHEA, FAPIC is a seasoned, board-certified infection preventionist. He first became interested with infectious diseases while serving as a United States Army medic in South Korea, where he supervised a microbiology department that specialized in sexually transmitted diseases. He later worked on the high technology isolation ward at Ft. Detrick, Maryland, home of “The Hot Zone.” Prior to becoming an infection preventionist, he had 14 years of experience, and achieved certification, in critical care and behavioral health nursing. Steve was also a long-term care “orderly” prior to attending nursing school.
Steve has been an infection preventionist since 1995, achieving continual certification
since 1997. Clinical experiences include the acute care, Long-Term Care, and behavioral health clinical settings. For 8 years, he was responsible for LTC infection prevention programs and never received a CMS 2567 deficiency.
Specialty interests include hand hygiene, environmental hygiene, vaccine preventable diseases, emergency management of infectious diseases, surveillance, outbreaks, antibiotic stewardship, dialysis, and the special needs of the patient in the long-term care and behavioral health settings.
He has authored / co-authored articles in peer reviewed publications, lectured / presented posters at national conferences, and presented national webinars.
He is currently serving/previously served on APIC, SHEA, CBIC, IPAC Canada and AMDA national committees. He has authored chapters in APIC’s “Infection Preventionist Guide to Long-Term Care” and the “APIC Text Online.”
Additionally, Steve has served as a faculty member for the AHRQ Safety Program for Long-Term Care: HAI/CAUTI. He is also an APIC EPI acute care/LTC faculty member.
On a personal level, both of his parents have developed healthcare associated infections (HAIs) while hospitalized. Steve clearly appreciates the gravity of HAIs, both personally and professionally. Resultantly, he strives to reduce infection and promote safety for all.
