Environment of Care, Construction and Remediation
30/30 Education Session - 30 minutes
Sarah Clock, PhD, MPH
Infection Control Specialist
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
New York, New York
Nothing to disclose
Dana Piatek, MSN, RN, CIC
Manager, Infection Prevention
UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson
New Castle, Pennsylvania
Nothing to disclose
Catastrophic failures to major hospital infrastructure require immediate attention and necessitate extensive construction efforts and urgent timelines to complete repairs. The risks are amplified when the site of the failure and/or repair is in high-risk areas of the hospital, and the role of the IP is paramount to ensuring patient safety and in responding to the unique challenges to maintaining clinical operations during major repairs to critical systems.
This session will feature a case study of the emergency repair of the main sanitary line located underneath the surgical suite in a 196-bed hospital, which involved re-routing of sewage, full-scale excavation, and re-design of plumbing systems within the semi-restricted corridor, all while keeping operating rooms on both sides active.
Participants will get a toolkit and strategies to successfully engage in interdisciplinary collaboration as a member of the response team and maintain safety during emergency repairs to critical hospital infrastructure. Essential components this session include:
• Elements of the IP’s role including engagement from the beginning, development of an IPC risk assessment and dust protection plan, participation in meetings and calls, and review of proposed designs.
• A description of the special considerations for work in semi-restricted areas such as compliance with required PPE and routes and times for supply delivery and debris removal. Especially important are IP approval of placement, proper installation, and maintenance of dust control barriers and sources of negative pressure.
• Tools for routine monitoring of the work site include a differential pressure gauge (air pressure relationships) and a particle counter (air monitoring).