Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement
Concurrent Education Session - 60 minutes
Mary Jane Dunn, RN, BSN, CIC
Infection Preventionist
UC Davis Health
Sacramento, California
Nothing to disclose
Kimiko McCulloch, RN, MSN, CIC, RN-BC
Infection Preventionist
UC Davis Health
Placerville, California
Nothing to disclose
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Carol Vance, MSN, RN, CIC
Multi-Site Director, Infection Prevention
Advocate Children's Hospital
Park Ridge, Illinois
Far more Americans receive medical care in outpatient physician offices than in inpatient settings, yet most of the focus on IPC has been on hospital care. Shifts in insurance coverage and access to care are increasing outpatient physician office visits, and outpatient service areas are providing both basic and advanced care to patients. Breaches in IPC practices in the outpatient setting continue to cause outbreaks.
As a result, regulatory and accrediting agencies are placing more emphasis on outpatient IPC. As frequently overworked IPs move from hospital-based programs to the myriad of different settings in which outpatient care is provided, they may be faced with an enormous set of challenges.
This session will describe how to implement and sustain an effective IPC program in outpatient settings, including outpatient surgery centers, endoscopy centers, primary care offices, specialty practices, and dental offices. Components of an outpatient IPC program will be described, as well as approaches that can be taken to optimize implementation. Several program resources, areas of high focus during regulatory surveys, and proactive approaches will be discussed. Participants will learn how to perform a baseline risk assessment, gap analysis, and the development of strategies to address areas of opportunity in the outpatient setting.
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