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Dear NEO APIC Members,
Thank you for the opportunity to attend the 2019 State of Ohio APIC Conference.
The presentation that I am still thinking about is entitled "MRSA – A PERSONAL CASE STUDY", presented by Bill Schmelzer, a rep for Halyard Health. He tells his own personal story of dealing with a MRSA SSI – from a hip arthroplasty in 2016. Bill was a healthy person with no chronic disease or conditions pre-op.
Bill walked us through his worst nightmare – septic shock 10 days after his surgery. Almost 3 years later he is still dealing with complications. When I asked Bill about speaking to a group in the future, his response was that it is hard to plan ahead – at some point he will need another revision as his hip is re-infected.
As IPs, we focus on the SSI and the implications of reporting them. "We exceed our threshold"… "We have to do a RCA"… It is very easy to lose focus on what is really most important – the impact on the patient (and his family) - physically, emotionally and financially. This presentation brought me back to why I went into Infection Control in the beginning: To make a difference. To prevent other people from going through what my Dad went through with chronic infection. Maybe we could make a difference if we could focus on prevention?
Bill's presentation was filled with gratitude for his wife, family and his caregivers, with the exception of a surgeon who ignored his post op fever, pain, and swelling. Bill also spoke about the need for an advocate for patients who have nobody watching over their care.
Again thank you. This presentation brought me back to what is really most important – the patient.
Sincerely,
Jane Adams
Dear NEO APIC Members,
I was also a lucky winner from NEO APIC to attend the 2019 State of Ohio APIC conference. I wanted to report on the presentation on Isolation Gowns and Improving Compliance . The speakers (Tina Keller and Sara Green) addressed the details of the regulatory requirements for PPE in healthcare, including the differences between the different AAMI levels 1-4. Most healthcare facilities use level 3 gowns for isolation. They emphasized the need for 360 coverage of the gowns to cover the back as well as the front, vulnerabilities often seen at the wrist cuff (elastic and thumb hook options), and neck closure (tie vs over the head) and gown ties. They addressed the challenges to compliance with staff using the PPE and identified strategies to increase compliance. They provided pictorial examples of PPE deficiencies and charts for proper PPE use. They finished with a group activity of donning and doffing isolation gowns to reinforce their points.
I look forward to this conference every year, as it is well organized, great speakers, great food, great company/networking, and wonderful resources/vendors. Thank you for the opportunity to attend. It is also going to be sponsored next October by our Chapter, so it will easier for everyone to attend!
Liza Eckstein, MSN,RN,CIC, FAPIC
Infection Preventionist
VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System
Cleveland, Ohio
O: 216-791-2300 ext 45303
C: 216-701-0229
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Hello-
I was fortunate enough to be chosen as a winner from NEO APIC to attend the 2019 State of Ohio APIC conference.
This was my first time attending the conference and will definitely attend next year. I am sharing information learned at the training.
Most interesting to me was the presentation on "Utilizing TJC Standards and CMS Tags to Assess Your Environmental Hygiene Program."
I know many of us perform environmental rounding within our facilities- this program offered suggestions to improve our processes. Sample documentation was provided to aid in improved recording of findings and to monitor actions taken with templates that can be utilized as communication tools and action plan guidance.
The Speaker, Carol Calabrese, described many ways to improve our environments including: utilizing a cleaning responsibility matrix, review of cleaning product information including shelf life, contact times and cleaning tools to further enhance Infection Control's partnership with environmental services and many hospital departments.
Also outlined in the program information was the need for the review of operative cleaning practices and continued monitoring and validation in this environment. Included in this portion was guidance for education, training and competency with our operative staff. Training tools were included which I have shared with our operative areas at my facility.
Thank you for the opportunity to attend this workshop.
Petey Higgins RN, BSN
Infection Control Nurse
Quality Improvement/Clinical Outcomes
University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center
630 East River Street
Elyria, Ohio 44035
Office: 440-326-5278
Fax: 440-329-5971
Pager: 440-758-6514
PATRICIA.HIGGINS@UHhospitals.org
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------Original Message------ Hello All, I was fortunate enough to attend the 2019 State of Ohio APIC Conference in Warren last Friday, compliments of our Chapter. In return for this gift I am sharing with you some information on Sepsis. Interesting to me 80-92% of sepsis cases are POA highlighting the importance of early recognition in the community setting (ECF, assisted living, & home setting). There was a very nice info-graphic used to educate which was shared at the conference (see attachment). Sepsis is the 3rd leading cause of death with the most common causes; UTI, FLU, pneumonia, abscesses, gastroenteritis. The speaker drove home the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in the hospital setting including top leadership involvement, standing meetings, sepsis order sets, educating the unlicensed caregivers related to when to notify the nurse when taking vital signs & post-discharge F/U call in the geriatric patients to successfully managing sepsis. I have attached a resource sheet that includes free CUE education as well as a wealth of information on this topic. Sincerely, Chris Rose
Attending this year’s APIC State of Ohio Conference was an enhancement to our Infection Prevention knowledge. One of my favorite speakers was the personal sharing of an MRSA patient giving the full spectrum of information regarding SSI’s and its effects on him and his family. He brought to light the importance of best practices such as opening and closing of the OR door as well as how as a patient he did everything he could to prevent an infection as an ideal patient. This reinforced how infection prevention is a team effort. I would love to see his message shared with OR hospital staff to help rekindle the passion. The water plan speaker encouraged my follow up to look into the CDC website for guidance on our water plan to make assess compliance. With the Environmental Speaker it gave me the idea to see about potentially changing my quarterly infection prevention agenda to using the Joint Commission Standards as the outline and build from that.
Thank you for the wonderful opportunity to go and be enriched with the experience as a whole.
Sincerely,
Sandy Neola
Sandra Neola RN BSN CIC / Infection Preventionist
Quality Management
20000 Harvard Ave. Warrensville Heights, OH 44122
Office (216) 491-6635 Cell (216) 318-3452
Fax (216) 491-2379
Email neolas@ccf.org
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Dear NEO APIC members:
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to attend the APIC State Conference which I truly enjoyed! The venue, the gracious hospitality of the IKORCC team and the camaraderie all added to the pleasure of the day. Everyone that has already contributed to the discussion of this program shared great thoughts and ideas from the speakers. The speakers were so sincere and I agree with Jane Adams comments about the importance of remembering the individual experiencing the SSI. SSIs of the magnitude shared by the speaker are hard to hear about when one works in healthcare. The need to continue to fear a recurrence and the costs mentally, physically and financially are sobering. The presentation on "Collaboration for Reducing Sepsis Mortality" helped to reinforce the changes being seen in healthcare around rapid identification of sepsis and early intervention. How far that effort has come! The need for hospitalist and intensivist "buy in" early on was supported and experienced by all of us in our daily practice. Being reminded that taking something from new evidence to hardwiring it into practice takes 17 years was sobering but important to keep in mind when we are working so hard to use evidence based best practices at the bedside. I was also very interested to learn of the concept of a Geriatric ED. In on such ED follow up occurred at day 2 and day 14 with a significant drop in the rate of readmissions. I imagine there are significant quality of life issues related to that as well. The vendor visits were quite good and it was great to hear from the NIOSH rep that she was impressed by the Ohio crowd and our enthusiasm. She shared that at a recent meeting she attended in Pennsylvania there was a very poor attendance and lack of participation at the vendor tables.
I so appreciate our NEO APIC and thank you again for this great opportunity.
Linda
Linda Schoolcraft Reyes BSN, RN, CIC Infection Prevention
Office: 216-476-7855
Cell: 216-312-3180
Pager: 330-487-9529
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I too was fortunate to have been a lucky winner of the NEO APIC and attend the 2019 Ohio APIC Conference. All topics were relevant to every day IC experiences. The presenters did an excellent job in communicating the importance of our roles as IC Prevention personnel and how it really is everyone's responsibility to prevent infections. As Bill stated, "It takes a village!" As all involved in infection control, sometimes it is more of a heartfelt endeavor than any other reason for pushing ourselves to be the best patient advocate we can be. I always come away with inspiration to continue the fight for reducing infection risks and educating those I work with to be better at it also. Again, thank you for allowing me to attend such an informative and relevant conference. Respectfully, Susan E. Orians RN, IP
I was one of the lucky ones that received APIC money to attend the state conference. I wanted to share what I learned with our chapter. Please accept this as my documentation.
I was most moved by the presentation entitled "MRSA – A PERSONAL CASE STUDY" presented by Bill Schmelzer. He tells his own personal story of dealing with a MRSA SSI – from a hip arthroplasty in 2016. Bill was a healthy person with no chronic disease or conditions pre-op. I agree with Jane Adams and Linda Reyes’ comments about the importance of remembering the individual experiencing the SSI. SSIs of the magnitude shared by the speaker are hard to hear about when one works in healthcare and even more so when one has a family member with a new total knee replacement. Bill also spoke about the need for an advocate for patients who have nobody watching over their care. Patient advocacy has always been my role in my family as the only medical person. I was somewhat dismayed to hear that Bill still suffers the repercussions of his MRSA infection and the threat to his hip replacement so many years later. Bill’s keynote address and the lessons he shared will stay with me for a long time.
Thanks and have a good week!
Nancy Hogle
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Nancy Hogle BSN, MPH, RN, CIC | Infection Prevention
Quality and Patient Safety Institute | Desk JJN2-01
Cleveland Clinic | 9500 Euclid Ave. | Cleveland, OH 44195
Fax (216) 445-3593 | Phone: (216) 445-6018 | email: hoglen@ccf.org
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I want to thank you for the opportunity provided to attend the APIC Conference in Warren Ohio. It was so nice to see such a group of Infection Prevention people together. It was very touching to hear the journey of the gentleman who acquired the MRSA joint infection. Really brings home the importance of what we do in prevention and tracking and surveillance, there is such a life changing impact to those who get a hospital acquired infection, and such a domino effect in the lives of those involved with a loved one who gets a hospital acquired infection.
The vendors were very informative as well, we were able to get some good leads on potential products. It was nice to see options for different types of gowns used for PPE as well, there is definitely a need to have better practice with coverage, and ease of use; the overhead donning without needing to tie the gown in the back was a good improvement from our current gowns. So often we see the gowns untied at the neck and sagging down past the shoulders.
Really appreciate all the time and effort that went into coordinating and facilitating this event for our chapters. Thank you again for this opportunity!
Gail Colgrove B.S.N., R.N
Infection Control Nurse
University Hospitals Parma Medical Center
7007 Powers Blvd
Parma, Oh 44129
Phone: 440-743-2382
Pager:440-303-5865
Fax: 440-743-4404
Email: gail.colgrove@uhhospitals.org
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I learned from the speaker that talked about the infection he received after a hip procedure. His experience helped me to understand the people behind the infection and the impact a hospital acquired infection has on the patient and the family.
Joan Vinski
Infection Prevention
(216) 636-5231
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Hello, I was lucky enough to receive a monetary scholarship to attend the State of Ohio APIC 2019 Conference. I enjoyed many of the talks and learned quite a bit about Infection Prevention. I especially enjoyed the talk "Legionella Bacteria Remediation and Control Strategies in Building Water Systems". Legionella causes Legionnaires Disease by inhalation of contaminated water droplets, and is thought to be underreported due to a similar presentation to pneumonia. Stagnant water can act as a breading ground for the bacteria, especially at the temperature range of 68 - 122 F. Cooling towers, Showerheads, Faucets and Whirlpool baths are just a few of the locations in a health care facility that Legionella bacteria can amplify. A hospital Water Management Program is required by CMS and must take into account the ASHRAE Standards and CDC toolkit. According to the CDC, 85 percent of all Legionnaires cases attributed to water systems could have been prevented by an effective program. A successful program includes Legionella prevention awareness, water management program preparation and implementation. ------------------------------ Rachel Wolanksy, BSN, RN, MLT(ASCP) Cleveland Clinic Infection Prevention Cleveland, OH ------------------------------
Dear NEO APIC Members,
We would like to thank you for the opportunity to attend the 2019 State of Ohio APIC conference this year. All the presenters shared important information that impacts our daily lives as Infection Preventionists. We thought that James Guliano gave a great presentation of sepsis. We all know it, we all deal with it daily in our jobs but it was great to have it all summarized and outlined on what needs to be included in a successful sepsis identification/prevention program. Leadership commitment along with engaged physicians and unit based sepsis champions helps to identify and provide early and appropriate treatment of potential sepsis patients. Other important considerations of sepsis identification and prevention include; performance measures for physicians (using the sepsis order sets), standing meetings with clinical documentation department including coders and quality, engaged hospitalists, unit champions, ED based pharmacists, point of care testing equipment and sepsis assessments performed multiple time per day. There are resources and clinical experts available to healthcare facilities to ensure that the sepsis team is utilizing best practices, including OHA, the Sepsis Institute, and Sepsis Alliance.
As James Guiliano stated often during his presentation on for reducing sepsis mortality, "It takes a Village" to save lives. He talked about how to achieve success of collaboration by having quantifiable aims, thoughtful use of data, application of new ideas and practices, exchanges of information and then the celebration of success. Not only is the IP part of this village, but it also needs to include CEO's, providers, hospitalists, bedside staff, Quality, Coding, etc. in a multidisciplinary forum. It takes the involvement of each team member to really focus on the most important aspect of all our roles which is providing safe care to our patients.
Sepsis is a life threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection injures its own tissues and organs, using the phrase "The body is fighting friendly fire."
The best hope for survival is early detection.
He also shared a very impactful video about Angelica Hale who was a finalist on America's Got Talent, when she was four years old and how she survived sepsis. It's About Time, is a national initiative to raise awareness of sepsis and how to recognize symptoms and the need to seek treatment. (www.sepsis.org/about/its-about-time/).
We also learned about AAMI levels for classifying disposable isolation gowns and that the entire gown is considered a critical zone. The speakers gave us the opportunity to don and doff gowns that included convenient features such as elastic wrists, thumbhooks, and were the over-the-head style. The "what's wrong with this picture" slides were great examples to help to identify the common misuses of isolation gowns by healthcare providers. We were also made aware that open-back isolation gowns do not meet AAMI standards for an isolation gown and would be classified as a protective gown. This led us to re-examine our current practice and choice of isolation gown. The "Rip from the Hip" slogan was a useful tip for educating the correct doffing of disposable gowns.
We am looking forward to next year's conference and would like to thank you again for this great opportunity to attend.
Pam Kunkel, Chris Cooper, and Tina Lewis University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Thank you for the APIC scholarship to attend the 2019 State of Ohio APIC Conference. Mr. Schmelzer’s presentation on “MRSA” was an eye-opening experience from a patient’s perspective. One key takeaway was the need for an advocate. For him, it was his wife. It brought to light the fact that many patients need an advocate to fight for them, for the care that they need, and not give up the fight! His statement regarding a 2008 study on masks indicated that 384 cases were reviewed over one year with 45% of those masks being contaminated. How important to educate on throwing a mask away after seeing your patient and performing hand hygiene! While his hospital stay is over, he is still recovering from the physical, emotional, and financial aspects of his hospitalization(s).
Carol Calabrese presented “Utilizing TJC Standards & CMS tags to assess your Environmental Hygiene Program. She stated that surveyors are timing staff to assess if the wet time is correct. I relayed this information to our survey readiness team and we are asking staff about wet times for cleaning products and watching the process to assure it is being done correctly.
James Guliano’s presentation on “Collaboration for Reducing Sepsis Mortality” brought to light the need to educate staff on those most at risk-patients who had a recent surgery, recent foley/picc line, UTI, Pneumonia, abscess, or gastroenteritis patients. I would also like to see “TIME” (temp too high/low, infection s/s, mental decline, extremely ill) used at my facility. The concept that it takes 17 years from new evidence to full implementation for an organization to hardwire a new process means that there is always occasion for education, reminders, and updates within an organization!
Thank you to everyone who helped put this together. It was a wonderful opportunity!
Laura Scott, RN
Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital
Northeast Ohio APIC Chapter,
I was also lucky enough to receive a monetary scholarship to attend the State of Ohio APIC 2019 Conference.
The session "Utilizing TJC Standards and CMS Tags to Assess Your Environmental Hygiene Program" presented by Carol Calabrese was the most interesting for me. She was able to outline which TJC standards and CMS tags applied for infection prevention and environmental hygiene. She also suggests including environmental hygiene on the IP risk assessment. She was able to share several EOC rounding tools and areas to focus on during rounding:
- Who cleans what and when? (cleaning matrix)
- Portable Devices?
- Disinfectants MIFU
o Dilution testing
o Storage
o Shelf life/expiration
o Contact time/Wet time
- Laundry
- Training and Competency
- Monitoring of Environmental cleaning
Thank you to the chapter for the opportunity to attend the conference. This conference is always well attended and is a wonderful time connect with IPs & vendors from around the state.
Wanda Mullins BSN, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC | Senior Director, Infection Prevention
Quality and Patient Safety Institute | Desk JJN2-01
Cleveland Clinic | 9500 Euclid Ave. | Cleveland, OH 44195
Cell (330) 802-9885 | Phone: (216) 444-1623 | mullinw@ccf.org
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2019 statewide conference
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Thank you very much for the opportunity to attend the 2019 Statewide conference. I enjoyed and took new knowledge from each presentation. The particular presentation by James Guilano was reassuring. Having been working as an registered nurse for decades and an Infection Preventionist for over ten years, I have had the privilege to work at many differently sized organizations. I understand not all resources are available to smaller community hospitals. Having the statewide support and disseminated knowledge to practitioners is very valuable and keeps our patients safe and our fellow staff educated. Sepsis is a terrible illness that so many still do not survive. Additionally, listening to a personal experience described to all of us regarding MRSA and sepsis further strengthens my resolve to our role in preventing healthcare acquired infections. With much gratitude, Nancy Nally BSN, RN, CIC Fairview Hospital
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Reply to Group Online View Thread Recommend Forward Flag as Inappropriate
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2019 APIC Statewide Conference
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Dear NEO APIC Members,
Thank you for the opportunity to attend the 2019 State of Ohio APIC Conference.
The presentation that hit home for me was titled "MRSA – A PERSONAL CASE STUDY", presented by Bill Schmelzer, which detailed his personal story survival of a vicious MRSA infection and sepsis.
His story shined a light on what we all quietly do every day in our work as infection preventionists to keep our patient safe from harm and reminds me that the battle is never won, the fight will continue, and our vigilance is vitally important to our patients and their families.
I am grateful for Bill's candid story of his own personal experience. I was disappointed to hear the lapses in care he also experienced and more resolved to work to prevent this from happening again. I admire his courage and commitment to others wellbeing.
Again thank you for the opportunity to attend this conference and spend quality time with my colleagues.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Shultz, MBA, BSN, RN, CIC, CPN Infection Preventionist Fairview Hospital/Cleveland Clinic
Ohio Statewide APIC Conference
This is my fourth year attending the Ohio Statewide APIC Conference. I have enjoyed attending and learning at each one. One of the biggest benefits is it is local and has met budgetary travel restrictions for in state travel only.
There were many interesting speakers again this year. The “Legionella bacteria remediation and control strategies” presented by Nora Rothschild was great reinforcement of the need for a well engaged interdisciplinary team to review, address, and evaluate a facility’s water safety plan. Interesting pearls from her presentation included how construction materials can contribute and increase risk for biofilm build up that can harbor Legionella and other water borne pathogens. Also, Legionella can travel up to 3 miles from a water cooling tower which may change the perspective we have on risk for transmission.
The interactive design of the PPE/PPA presentation by Sara Green, Diane Tolbert and Jane Howard was a nice break and a good reminder of how important proper donning, wearing and doffing is. It is not enough to merely supply barriers, staff must be trained and monitored for proper usage.
I feel the best presentation came from Bill Schmelzer, a sales representative for medical supplies, sharing “MRSA – A Personal Case Study.” There is no doubt how narratives, stories, provide real impact and change the numbers to faces in our data mining platforms. His presentation was very moving, yet filled with facts and knowledge from a person who has spent years supporting the medical field. HAIs have life altering effects on our patients, their families and even co-workers. Although he is still living with the consequences, which may include amputation in the future, he remained optimistic and forgiving. Stemming from an undetermined cause for his HAI – SSI, which may have resulted from a microscopic fiber at the time of his procedure, his life was irreversibly altered. His experience was complicated by a vacationing attending, rotating physician on call who did not pick up on signals from himself or his wife of his deteriorating condition. It was very difficult to listen the nonchalance of a ‘learned’ surgeon who seemed more perturbed at being disturbed with calls and requests for office visits over the listening to the patient’s concerns. It reinforced how important it is to balance all our knowledge and evidence based practices with the understanding the patient knows their body best. I feel every person who works in the surgical arena could benefit from listening to his presentation.
Of course, the best part of the conference is without a doubt the ability to network with colleagues. IPs are a very special type of person and there is never enough time to share and grow from each other’s experience or support each other’s trials as well as successes. The conference is a wonderful opportunity to learn as an IP and build relationships with peers
Joan Seidel
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NEO APIC members,
Thank you to the chapter and IKORCC for the opportunity to attend the 2019 State of Ohio APIC Conference. I gained information from each presentation and vendor interaction. I believe Bill Schmelzer- MRSA presentation was indeed a wakeup call to all caregivers, patients and their families. Two slides in particular from “Utilizing TJC Standards and CMS Tags to Assess Your Environment Hygiene Program” presented by Carol Calabrese captured my attention. Slide #1 alert healthcare facilities of the need to question the quality and cleanliness of reusable microfiber clothes. Are we following manufacturer’s instruction for use (good for 50 vs 300 washings)? And, if so who’s counting wash cycles? Slide #2 a research study- “Microbial contamination of hospital reusable cleaning towels” showed reusable cleaning cloths contained bacteria after laundering and may spread contaminants. Both slides made clear the need to look at the ready-to-use cleaning and disinfection wipes vs the traditional towel method, how and where they are being used.
Belinda Jordan, MPH RN CIC
Infection Preventionist
Cleveland Clinic
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Good afternoon all, I was one of the fortunate IPs selected to receive financial assistance for the APIC State of Ohio Conference this October. I'm so grateful that I was able to go - this was my first time attending! Like many IPs, I think "MRSA-A Personal Case Study" had the biggest impact on me that day; both professionally and personally. From where I sit, it can sometimes feel as if our work is not directly connected to the patient (especially when no one wants to hear the word "CLABSI"). When I was a micro tech working on the bench, I was often caught up in the fascination of the bugs themselves - their morphology, biochemical reactions, etc., that I sometimes unintentionally forgot that a patient was on the other end of that "fascinating" culture. At the end of the day, this presentation served as a sobering reminder that there's a human being connected to each part of our work as IPs and we must continue to serve as advocates. Whether that's investigating a positive blood culture with undivided attention or speaking up when noticing a missed hand hygiene opportunity - each and every patient deserves a dedicated healthcare team willing to lead by example. As my mom prepares for her second hip replacement next Monday, I remain cautiously optimistic that everything will go well. None of us are exempt from what Bill experienced, and his story will remain in the back of my mind for the duration of my mom's recovery. Fortunately, her surgery will take place where I work, so I can advocate for her as a daughter and continue to advocate for others as a professional. As always, it was a pleasure seeing and catching up with many of you last month! -Holly ------------------------------ Holly Byall, MLS (ASCP), CIC Cleveland Clinic Akron General Akron, Ohio ------------------------------
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Reply to Group Online View Thread Recommend Forward Flag as Inappropriate
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State APIC
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Good morning!!! I first want to start off by saying we are so incredibly lucky to have a wonderful chapter that is so vested in professional development that they are able to offer scholarships to this conference. I walked away from this conference with 2 thoughts/lessons. 1. MRSA is not just MRSA. I often forget to connect a diagnosis/admission to an actual human with a family, hopes, and dreams. Listening to his story left me reminiscing of my past time working on a nursing unit. Did his story differ from others I had cared for? Unfortunately, his was not unique. This leaves me with a renewed passion for sharing my IP knowledge. 2. How did a discussion on isolation gowns take so long!!!??? :) Seriously though, this session reminded me how critical we need to be when evaluating products. Isolation gowns are a normal site in many of our facilities and probably the one item that many of our staff would love to change (too hot! :) ) Joanne Sitaras
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The October 2019 IKORCC conference was a great success. My biggest take away from the conference and which the greatest impact on me was the initial speaker "MRSA A personal Case study" and how it relates to what we try and do every day as IP's. He spoke in humanistic way about his about his experience of having orthopedic surgery and his unfortunate experience of acquiring a Surgery Site Infection with MRSA. The story of his journey through the Health Care continuum and subsequent sequelae related to that initial infection reminded me of why I am an IP, to prevent his type of story from happening to others. I think that this why we as Infection Prevention professionals strive to perform our jobs so other patients will have positive outcomes and experiences. Fantastic support from the vendors who attended. I am very thankful for our organizational support that was offered to me for this event. I would high recommend this conference anyone in the future
------------------------------ Dirk Treleven, BS, RN, CIC, MT(ASCP)SM Infection Preventionist Hillcrest Hospital ------------------------------
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Good afternoon all, I was one of the fortunate IPs selected to receive financial assistance for the APIC State of Ohio Conference this October. It is so nice to receive assistance in attending this conference.
Nora Rothschild presented on Legionella Bacteria Remediation and Control Strategies in Building Water Systems. I found it interesting that the 3 most common contributing factor’s to Legionnaires’ disease cases are:
- The lack of familiarity with the water systems.
- Lack of effective microbiological control.
- Lack of coordinated prevention efforts. This is why it is so important to have a strong connection between Infection Control and Facility Managers.
Linda Madison RN,CIC
Thanks-
Linda
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Thank you to Northeast Ohio APIC for sending me to the State of Ohio APIC conference this year!
As others have said, the personal story about the battle with MRSA infection following orthopedic procedures was very moving. Sometime we (I) get bogged down in the numbers and statistics with infections so it was helpful to remember that each infection that we track, report, and discuss is a real person whose life is changed by it.
I thought the exercise with PPE from the ladies from Cardinal was helpful too. PPE design is a big business. Everyone knows IP is a multidisciplinary field. Even fashion and clothing designers have a role to play in our field. There is probably a lot of money to be made for people who can develop the next generation of functional, safe and inexpensive PPE for use in health care.
Thanks again for the scholarship.
Patrick
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Patrick Burke | Infection Prevention
Quality and Patient Safety Institute | Desk HS1-01
Cleveland Clinic | 9500 Euclid Ave | Cleveland, OH 44195
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I was most impressed by the presentation given by Bill Schmelzer “MRSA - A Personal Case Study” As a long-practicing Infection Preventionist, I think that it becomes easy for us to “de-personalize” patients as we are performing our various IP duties such as monitoring isolation precautions and medical chart review for surveillance purposes.
Mr. Schmelzer’s presentation was both honest and moving at the same time and impressive that he was willing to share the details of his experience as well as his emotions.
Also of interest to me was his reference to an “unstated objective” of his talk, the “edge to excellence.” By this he explained that health care workers need to be vigilant and to constantly remind themselves to strive for excellence in all they do when caring for patients.
This was a very powerful reminder to me of the importance of the work that we are all doing every day to improve patient care. He was an excellent choice for a speaker and the telling of his story was very valuable.
Michele Scarpelli
Chris Rose: October 2017
Dr. Rutala explained to the group the true essence of contact time (wet time) and how this differs between disinfectants that are used for soaking versus cloths & sprays & how the labs test products. The contact/wet time refers to items that are soaked for a set amount of time. The disinfectant sprays and Sani-cloths are different in that the time for disinfecting refers to the undisturbed time for example the PDI Sani cloth labeled 2 minute contact time would include using the cloth to clean the specific piece of equipment then allowing it to dry and be left undisturbed for 2 minutes. This is the same for sprays; spray, wipe and dry leave undisturbed for time listed. Dr. Rutala expects in the future product labels to change however when this may occur is not known. Sure does make a great deal of sense.
Silvana Began, RN:
I learned that air humidifiers harbor a lot of bacteria and should not be used in any setting, which is not practiced by most parents with young children. I have been encouraged by my child’s pediatrician several times to use a humidifier during the winter months.
I also learned that minimum dwell times noted on disinfectant wipes will no longer be a requirement to ensure cleaning of medical equipment. This was presented by Dr. Rutala.
Chris Cooper RN, CIC:
Being able to attend a seminar where Dr. Rutala is presenting is always a pleasure. He reviews much of what you know but always has new study results or ideas and opinions about new technologies that have hit the market or are soon to come to market. I always feel inspired after listening to his presentations.
Patrick Burke:
Dr. Connolly of Cincinnati Children’s hospital on infectious disease outbreak investigations was very interesting. She taught us about methods and strategies for investigating and controlling an outbreak of pertussis in a NICU.
Joanne Sitaras RN, BSN, CIC:
The conference was wonderful and included some great speakers. Of most interest to me, was the discussion by Dr Rutala. So much was presented but what stuck with me was the discussion on the modification to Spaulding’s classification. He indicated that we should be seeing a change soon in the AAMI guideline.
Debbra Miller
In October of 2017, I was a very lucky member of the Northeastern Ohio Chapter APIC when I was chosen to receive funds, and given the opportunity to attend the State of Ohio APIC conference. I would like to share a little of my experience.
I must say that I was very impressed with the conference! I can’t even think of one speaker that I didn’t enjoy and come away with something from what they said. If I had to pick one thing that was most memorable, it would be that once again I was able to listen to Dr. Rutala speak. I have heard him before but each time I do, I come away with new information that I did not hear before! He is so knowledgeable and has such a great understanding of the HLD/cleaning world that I am in awe. I learned more detail on the endoscope and why it is virtually impossible to clean every organism. I understand the quest to sterilization scopes in the near future. He also explained the differences of the environmental surface disinfectants. I was even able to talk to Dr. Rutala some questions that I had concerns with at our own hospital.
I want to thank you the Northeastern Ohio APIC chapter for giving me the funds to attend this wonderful conference, it was very worthwhile
Sincerely,
Debbra Miller
Pam Rahrig BS RN
That was quite a bit ago, but I do remember that all the speakers that day were very dynamic and really held your attention! One of the things I came away with from each of the speakers’ presentations is that it takes TEAM work to accomplish the goals of Infection Prevention – not just a single contributor! Each spoke of the contributions and tasks that they, along with their respective staffs, accomplished to work towards meeting their particular goal. I think perhaps that sometimes organizations expect the IP to just “fix” all the problems, but nothing ever is resolved without the entire TEAM participating!
Hopefully, that will suffice. I recently transitioned to another position in our Quality Dept., but I always enjoyed my role in IP! The APIC meetings were great – I am really going to miss attending them!
Thank you,
Pam Rahrig BS RN
Frank J. Piscioneri, B.S.N., R.N., C.R.C.S.T.
Chrystal Heishman presented Tools of the trade. Infection Prevention is new for me. I appreciated all the information she presented us with surveillance and the many processes that encapsulate it. How to manage data effectively. Most importantly who are my stakeholders and what they truly need from me in regards to data, Line lists, tables and control charts along with score card. I truly learned a lot at the conference and an=m looking forward to this years.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Sincerely Frank
Diane Salisbury, RN, CIC, MSN
During Dr Rutala’s talk, I learned that the Spaulding criteria for critical verses non-critical items will most likely be revised. We should expect higher levels of disinfection/sterilization for GI scopes in the near future.