Infection Control Practitioner

According to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), an infection control practitioner (ICP) is typically a registered nurse, physician, epidemiologist, or medical technologist who: helps to prevent healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) by isolating sources of infections and limiting their spread; systematically collects, analyzes and interprets health data in order to plan, implement, evaluate and disseminate appropriate public health practices; and trains healthcare staff through instruction and dissemination of information on infection control practices. With the advent of new emerging infectious diseases such as SARS and avian influenza, as well as older foes such as MRSA and VRE, the role of the ICP is more critical than ever in the age of mandatory reporting of infections. Infection control and prevention strategies are critical because HAIs continue to affect more than 2 million patients annually in the U.S., at a cost of more than $5.5 billion; and according to APIC, control and prevention of HAIs have significantly lowered patient infection risk in hospitals and other healthcare and group facilities, and that infection surveillance and data collection on infection rates have become the basis for measuring the quality of care in hospitals.

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When's the Best Time for an ICP to Make Rounds?

Q: We are having a discussion here at the UniversityHospital and I was wanting your opinion. When is the best time for the infection control practitioner to do infection control rounds?  Should it be at the beginning of the day before the first surgery begins?   Should it be at the end of the day cleaning (meaning all ORs are terminally ...(More)

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