Infection Prevention & Control

Infection prevention and control is one of the first topics introduced in nursing programs, yet its main tenets are often lost or forgotten. There has never been a better time to:

• Wash your hands thoroughly and often.  See CDC’s Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings https://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/ for specifics.
• If you are ill, stay home and/or seek health care as appropriate,
• Cover your cough and sneeze with a tissue, dispose of the tissue, then thoroughly wash your hands.
• Ensure that you are current on all of your immunizations.
• Always use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when interacting with patients.
• Remember and follow the hierarchy of controls for occupational hazards.  See this link from the CDC for more https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hierarchy-of-controls/about/.

Better health begins with better hand hygiene 

We know it but do we practice it?  Now is the time to ensure this basic public health tenet.  CDC’s Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings   website  https://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/   can help. 

Update on Coronavirus (COVID-19) 

To keep informed on COVID-19, visit the CDC’s dedicated webpages https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html and ANA’s website https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/work-environment/health-safety/disaster-preparedness/coronavirus/.