The increasing number of emerging diseases is forcing nurses to take on roles outside of their traditional duties, roles such as waste management and environmental cleaning. With the evolution of emerging threats and ongoing issues such as healthcare-associated infections, nurses need to be equipped to understand and follow infection control procedures to protect themselves and their patients.
To address these emerging issues, NACNS is joining the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Nursing Infection Control Education Network (NICE Network).
The NICE Network will develop training programs for real time infection prevention and control, improve adherence to best practice and enhance nurses’ confidence when caring for patients with Ebola and other highly contagious diseases.
Twenty other nursing organizations are joining NACNS and ANA in the NICE Network.
As part of this work, NACNS created an Infection Control Task Force. It will identify the top concerns about infection control in today’s health care environment and make recommendations on the resources and education needed by clinical nurse specialists to implement refined practices in their work places. Task force members will meet twice a month for more than a year until goals are met.
Members of the NACNS Infection Control Task Force are:
- Jacob John, RN, MSN Ed., ACNS-BC, a MDRO Prevention Coordinator (MPC) at VA Ann Arbor Health System in Canton, Mich.;
- Pamela J. Laborde, DNP, APRN, CCNS, a CNS in Patient Care Services at UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock, Ark.;
- Sharon R. Liska, NNP/NCNS-BC, RNC-N, a Clinical Nurse Specialist-Advanced at Providence Alaska NICU in Anchorage, A.K.;
- Vanessa A. Makarewicz, MN, RN-BC, an Infection Control Operations Manager at Harborview Medical Center and University of Washington Affiliate Instructor in Seattle Wash.;
- Michelle S. Milly, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BC, CMSRN, an Ebola Assessment Hospital Program Coordinator at Frederick Memorial Hospital in Frederick, Md.;
- Chris Shakula, MS, RN, CNS-BC, CIC, an Infection Preventionist at Franciscan Health Crown Point in Crown Point, Ind.; and
- Monica Weber, MSN, RN, CNS-BC, FAHA, a Director, Professional Practice/Magnet Program Manager at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Rocky River, Ohio.
CDC Publishes Summary of HAI Prevention Progress in U.S. from 2006-2016
To help each state better understand its progress in health care-associated infection (HAI) prevention and identify areas that need assistance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published HAI Progress Reports.
Improvement of health care quality and the reduction of HAIs in U.S. hospitals has been significant and as a result, healthcare in the U.S. is safer now than even 10 years ago. Building upon this success and continuing towards the elimination of HAIs is critical.
2015 marked the start of the new five-year (2015-2020) goals of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Action Plan to Prevent Health Care-Associated Infections: Road Map to Elimination. This is a time of important updates and improvements for the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), CDC’s HAI surveillance system.
A summary of HAI prevention progress and next steps can be found in the reports below:
- Healthcare-associated Infections in the United States, 2006-2016: A Story of Progress – An overall summary detailing the progress made from 2006-2016 on five key infections.
- The 2015 National and State Healthcare-associated Infection Data Report – Reports of individual state and national standardized infection ratios (SIRs) using the new 2015 baseline.
- National 2015 Standardized Infection Ratios (SIRs) Calculated Using Historical Baselines – An overview of HAI prevention progress in acute care and critical access hospitals from 2014-2015 using historical baselines.
Two Online Decision-Making Simulations from SHEA/CDC Outbreak Response Training Program
How would you respond in the heat of a crisis? Find out by taking the two online simulations from the SHEA/CDC Outbreak Response Training Program (ORTP).
- Assess readiness.
- Improve decision-making.
- Access key resources through simulated “real-world” scenarios.
Leadership DecisionSim Module: Hospital Incident Command Systems: How to Lead When a Crisis Occurs
Content Authors:
Teena Chopra, MD, MPH
Jennifer Hanrahan, DO, MA
Case Study DecisionSim Module: Defending Against Superbugs: An Interactive Case Study Managing an “Outbreak” of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in a Hospital Setting
Content Authors:
Christopher Pfeiffer, MD, MHS
Priya Nori, MD
Each module takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Empowering Nurses to Protect Themselves and Their Patients Webinar Series
The NICE Network seeks to empower nurses to protect themselves and their patients by providing real time infection prevention and control training to U.S. nurses.
The seventh webinar in the series: “A Discussion of Current Infection Prevention and Control Challenges in Maternal and Child Health Settings,” will feature the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses. This webinar will discuss infection prevention practices and challenges in women’s health, obstetrics, and pediatrics, the importance of standard precautions, and practical solutions and ways to implement infection prevention in these specialty environments. The webinar will be held on May 15 at 11am ET. Register here.
Archived webinars:
- Disaster Preparedness through the Seasons
- Exploring Best Practices in Injection Safety
- Nurses’ Role in Antibiotic Stewardship
- Device Reprocessing and Sterilization
- The Importance of Collaboration between Nurses and Environmental Services
New Resource on Antibiotic Use
The CDC’s Office of Antibiotic Stewardship has released a new report, Antibiotic Use in the United States, 2017: Progress and Opportunities. This new publication highlights the progress the U.S. has made toward optimal prescribing and use of antibiotics in human health, and identifies opportunities for improvement. Additionally, it includes information about the current status of antibiotic use in health care settings and highlights programs and resources to support stewardship. To download the report, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/stewardship-report/.
In conjunction with the report’s release, CNSs are invited to:
- Check out CDC’s Safe Healthcare Blog to learn about Ascension Health’s experience related to antibiotic stewardship
- Read about what CDC is doing to improve antibiotic prescribing and use related to tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and Valley fever.
ANA White Paper on How to Optimize Antibiotic Use among Nurses
The American Nurses Association (ANA) recently released a white paper outlining how nurses can optimize antibiotic use and provide safer, better patient care. The white paper focuses on nurses’ role in antibiotic stewardship efforts in four key areas:
- How bedside nurses can improve antibiotic use
- How to improve nurses’ participation in antibiotic use activities – at both national and hospital levels
- Education and training for nurses
- How to engage nursing leaders in antibiotic stewardship efforts
To learn more about appropriate antibiotic use, visit: https://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/.
CDC Vital Signs Report: Legionnaires’ Disease in Heath Care Facilities
Clinicians 
are key to recognizing and correctly diagnosing Legionnaires’ disease—both community- and health care-associated. CDC’s latest Vital Signs report shows Legionnaires’ disease is a problem for health care facilities. Information is available to help clinicians recognize and accurately diagnose health care-associated Legionnaires’ disease cases.
Explore CDC’s new Vital Signs on Legionnaires’ disease in health care facilities, including an updated water management program toolkit, information for clinicians, infographic fact sheet, and more.