New Advisory Explores Integrating Infection Control Practices Into Ambulatory Surgical Care

In its latest Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority (PPSA) is featuring an article, "Ambulatory Surgical Facilities: Strategies to Integrate Basic Infection Control Concepts into Clinical Practice," written by Sharon Bradley, RN, CIC, senior infection prevention analyst for the PPSA.

In the last decade, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted investigations of national outbreaks of viral and bacterial infections and assessments of infection control practices in ambulatory surgical facilities (ASFs) across the country. Lax infection control practices were found to be widespread in ASFs, mostly due to clinicians misunderstanding or disregarding the standards of care.

From March 2004 through July 2012, Pennsylvania ASFs reported 733 events related to healthcare-associated surgical site infections (SSI) and sterilization errors through the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System. Development of targeted approaches to enhance infection control practices may assist ASFs with integrating infection control best-practice concepts into clinical practice and addressing SSI and infection-related events.

Bradley's article outlines strategies for ASFs to comprehensively explore their areas of greatest challenge with implementation of surveillance techniques, sterilization, disinfection, environmental control, safe injections, and standardized educational programs.

To read the article, CLICK HERE.

To access the toolkit, "Monitoring the Use of Evidence-Based Best Practices for Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) in Ambulatory Surgery," CLICK HERE.