An operating room nurse is not an infection preventionist and of course, the reverse is also true. But when these professionals come together with their respective experience and knowledge, when they collaborate and share responsibility for the care of every patient, the potential for healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) is dramatically reduced in the surgical setting as well as throughout the facility.
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has increased its collaborative efforts this past year by working with professional organizations and industry partners in support of programs that would help direct all healthcare professionals, regardless of their specialty, toward improved infection control. We partnered with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) to support International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). IIPW, which took place Oct. 18-24, was the perfect opportunity for AORN executive director/CEO Linda Groah, RN, MSN, CNOR, NEA-BC, FAAN, to urge AORN members to open the door to the surgical suite and to invite infection preventionists into the department. As we all have observed, the relationship between our departments is too often developed due to a crisis. We need to turn that around, be proactive and be committed to the prevention of negative outcomes.
Through generous support from 3M Health Care, AORN was able to launch a national hand hygiene campaign called, “It’s in your Hands.” The campaign helped spotlight the recently updated “AORN Recommended Practices for Hand Hygiene in the Perioperative Setting,” and has engaged and recognized healthcare professionals from around the country to demonstrate exemplary hand hygiene compliance. The campaign included a YouTube video contest in which updated hand hygiene protocols were depicted in short videos. The winning video will be selected by popular vote from three finalists that were recommended by the AORN Recommended Practices Committee for having accurately, thoroughly and appropriately represented AORN Recommended Practices, as well as the ability to serve as an educational tool. To help with any tie-breakers, our judges also evaluated the videos based on creativity. The winner will be announced at Congress in Denver on March 15.
To further support the collaboration of professionals within healthcare facilities, AORN has developed a line of new products called “Confidence Based Learning.” Available for download from the AORN Web site, these are education modules designed to create mastery of knowledge with titles including “High Level Disinfection,” “Sterilization in the Perioperative Setting,” and “Safe Environment of Care.”
