Education, Training, and Competencies
30/30 Education Session - 30 minutes
Lisa Hesse, BS CHEM MLS CIC
Infection Prevention Coordinator
Fairview Range
Hibbing, Minnesota
Nothing to disclose
Kathleen McMullen, MPH, CIC, FAPIC
Manage: Infection Prevention, Occupational Health, Wound Care
Christian Hospital
Saint Louis, Missouri
IPs at any stage of their career may have questions on NHSN case determination and reporting. Sending all questions to NHSN would place a substantial burden on NHSN and it can take days or weeks to get an answer depending on response times and whether further information is needed.
This session will feature a solution developed as a partnership between a local association for APIC chapter, state hospital association, and quality innovation network. This group teamed up to create a statewide NHSN user group which is open to anyone and meets remotely bi-monthly to review NHSN updates and criteria.
As a leader of this group, the case study coordinator (CSC) presents case studies, discusses nuances of the criteria, and shares advice on topics such as how to educate surgeons on present at time of surgery (PATOS) documentation. Case studies are often a variation of those presented (with permission) through NHSN trainings or are created specially to clarify a specific part of the criteria. The CSC is also available to review individual cases that IPs find challenging, and if there are universal lessons, those case studies are brought to the user group.
In the session, participants will learn more about the role of the CSC, the advantages of creating this position, and the resources needed to be successful. The discussion will include how the CSC can play a critical role in assuring NHSN reporting consistency and data integrity and can be a resource for advice on nuances of the criteria and how to educate staff, providers, and leaders on reporting requirements.