Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1028549
14 INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY Nurses less likely than physicians to speak up to colleagues with poor hand hygiene By Anuja Vaidya A study published in the American Journal of Infection Con- trol examined the likelihood of healthcare professionals speaking up about breaches in infection control, such as nonadherence to hand hygiene protocols. Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey study involving 1,217 healthcare professionals in five Switzerland-based hospitals. ey studied speaking-up behaviors, safety climate and likelihood to call out poor hand hygiene practice described in a vignette. Here are four survey findings: 1. Fiy-six percent of healthcare professionals reported they would speak up to a colleague with poor hand hygiene practices. 2. Nurses felt more discomfort with speaking up and reported a slightly lower likelihood of speaking up as compared to physicians. 3. Clinical function (hierarchy) was strongly associated with speaking-up behavior. 4. Higher risk of harm to the patient and higher frequencies of past speaking-up behaviors were positively linked with the likeli- hood to speak up. "Infection control interventions should empower [healthcare professionals] to speak up about non-adherence with prevention practices by addressing authority gradients and risk perceptions and by focusing on resignation," study authors concluded. n Denver Health aims for quicker public alerts after Ebola scare By Anuja Vaidya D enver Health is examining its response time for alert- ing the public about deadly infectious disease cases after a patient was admitted to the facility July 29 with a potential Ebola diagnosis, The Denver Post reported. Test results confirmed the patient did not have Ebola virus, but it took seven hours for the facility to notify the public. Denver Health spokesperson Jennifer Hillman attributed the delay in issuing an alert to time spent coordinating with other agencies to assess the situation and present- ing information in a media release in such a way as not to cause a panic. "If I had to look back on it now, I would have liked to have sent the press release out a little earlier," Ms. Hillmann told the Post. The organization started conducting debriefings to discuss how it handled the potential Ebola case. "We followed our established protocols, and all Denver Health staff responded efficiently and effectively; however, we use every opportunity we can to learn and improve," Ms. Hillmann said in a prepared statement. The Democratic Republic of Congo experienced an Ebola outbreak from May 8 until July 24 that killed 33 people. Days after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak over, the Congo declared a new outbreak. The patient at Denver Health had just returned from a medical mission to the Congo, according to the Post. n How Johns Hopkins Hospital preps for infectious disease threats, bioterrorism By Harrison Cook B altimore-based Johns Hopkins Hospital practices infectious disease training exercises every few months to ensure staff members are prepared to treat patients with highly contagious diseases, accord- ing to The Baltimore Sun. The Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit is one of 10 regional centers in the U.S. designed to respond to infec- tious disease outbreaks and bioterrorism attacks. The pro- gram was established in 2015 amid the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The unit stationed at Johns Hopkins covers a large portion of the mid-Atlantic region, including Dela- ware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington. "We don't know what the next outbreak will bring, but there is certainly a need for us to be prepared for it," Brian Garibaldi, MD, medical director of the John Hopkins Bio- containment Unit, told The Baltimore Sun. The unit conducted an Ebola protocol training Aug. 29, using a medical actor transported to the hospital in a dis- ease containment pod. The medical staff treated the fake patient while wearing hazmat suits. The Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit is funded until 2020 through a $4.1 million grant from HHS' Office of Preparedness and Response. n