Strengthening Safety: Standard Precautions for Infection Control

It’s no secret that healthcare industries are some of the most highly regulated when it comes to safety measures, cleanliness standards, continuing education, and more. It’s for good reason — poorly maintained and run medical centers face bigger threats than non-compliance. Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) alone are responsible for 99,000 deaths per year, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention, and this is only one element of inadequate facility management. Other consequences might include loss of funding, poor community reputation, loss of accreditation, and more. 

For these reasons and many more, your ability as a healthcare facility manager to achieve and maintain standard precautions for infection control in your facility is essential to your role and critical for the facility as a whole. The best way to ensure that your facility is able to combat the spread of infection and control disease along with other health and safety concerns is to implement consistent practices and procedures that will continually protect against HAIs, support your facility staff and medical teams, and create an environment of health and safety in hospitals. 

To do this, we recommend starting with training programs, regular audits, personal protective equipment (PPE), effective communication, dust containment equipment, and feedback processes. 

Build a Knowledgeable Team With Ongoing Education

For your healthcare facility to maintain high standards of infection control, thorough education and training for all staff members are essential. Offering a variety of training programs, including online courses, workshops, and hands-on seminars, ensures everyone can learn in a way that suits them best. However, training is not a one-time solution. Make sure to incorporate training regularly to keep your team updated on updated best practices to limit infection and control dust and you’ll support an overall culture of safety and compliance in your facility. This is also a good opportunity to invest in one or more infection control certifications that will equip your team to confidently handle risks or potential outbreaks. 

Mixing up training methods, like combining e-learning with practical workshops, makes the material more engaging and easier to grasp. Regular updates and refreshers, scheduled annually or when new guidelines are issued, keep everyone informed. Consider adding quizzes and feedback sessions that can further help assess your team’s understanding and highlight areas for improvement. 

Ensure Compliance With Regular Audits 

One of the best ways to upkeep your infection control standards is simply by regularly auditing your infection control measures. When you’re consistently checking in on the effectiveness of your health and safety processes, you’re poised to step in earlier if there is potential for improvement or a potential outbreak. We recommend mixing scheduled inspections with surprise checks to give you a realistic picture of how well your facility is doing.

As you complete your regular assessments, take care to keep thorough records of findings and actions taken to address any issues. Engage your staff in the audit processes well to increase their awareness and accountability, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working towards the same standards. 

Reduce Risk With Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Having easy access to and properly using PPE is essential to reducing the risk of exposure to infectious agents. A well-organized inventory system is a great and relatively simple way to make sure that your facility’s PPE levels are sufficient while preventing shortages and maintaining a safe environment. It’s important to not only make the PPE available, but also to regularly train your staff on the correct use of different types of PPE, and incorporate these practices into consistent protocols.

Examples of Effective Infection Control PPE include:

• Gloves: Protect hands from contamination.
• Masks and Respirators: Prevent inhalation of infectious agents.
• Gowns: Protect clothing and skin from exposure.
• Face Shields and Goggles: Shield eyes and face from splashes.
• Shoe Covers: Prevent contamination from footwear.
• Caps: Protect hair from exposure.

For example, you might choose to implement a system where staff sign in and out at PPE stations around the facility. This accountability measure can be reinforced with regular spot checks, and it provides an opportunity to address any non-compliance promptly through retraining and corrective actions. Not only does this make PPE easier to access and more commonly used, but it will also integrate PPE more fully into your facility’s standard operations and become an integral part of a larger culture of safety and compliance. 

Keep Everyone Informed With Effective Communication Channels

Clear communication channels are essential for sharing information on standard precautions and infection control guidelines. Using tools like newsletters, posters, and digital platforms ensures everyone stays informed and reinforces the importance of adhering to these standards. Regular updates and reminders keep staff engaged and aware of any changes or new protocols.

3 Ways to Ensure Effective Communication in Your Facility

1. Multichannel Approach

Use a mix of emails, intranet updates, posters, and meetings to share infection control information and best practices. This way, no matter where your staff is, they have access to the latest updates and guidelines.

2. Regular Updates

Send out weekly or monthly updates on new protocols, reminders, and audit results. Keeping the information flow steady helps everyone stay on top of the risk of infection and control possible outbreaks.

3. Feedback Mechanisms

Encourage staff to share their thoughts and practical experiences on the communication methods and content. Use suggestion boxes, surveys, or direct feedback during meetings to understand what's working and what needs tweaking. This helps keep communication effective and relevant.

Support Infection Control With Dust Containment Equipment

Your infection control practices are only as effective as the tools and equipment that you use to implement them. That’s why tools like temporary barriers, filtration vacuums, and dust containment carts are so vital to your facility’s success in infection control. 

Barriers and Enclosures

Temporary barriers help to contain dust and debris during construction projects and are a must for sensitive areas of your facility such as intensive care units or operating rooms. These barriers, such as plastic sheeting and modular walls, create a physical separation that prevents dust from spreading to patient care areas. To further improve the infection control of barriers and enclosures, consider adding a negative air machine and/or anteroom to discourage the movement of air between sealed spaces. 

HEPA Vacuums

Specialized vacuum cleaners are equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. These vacuums capture fine dust particles and prevent them from becoming airborne, ensuring that the air quality remains high in sensitive areas. You’ll need to vacuum anyway, so this tool is an easy swap to support your facility’s infection control strategy. 

Training Programs

Educate staff on the importance of dust containment and the proper usage of equipment. Regular training sessions help ensure that everyone understands the protocols and how to effectively implement them, maintaining a consistent approach to infection control.

Facilitate Continual Improvement With Monitoring and Feedback 

With all of these standard precautions for infection control, your ability to continually monitor results and gather feedback is critical to the overall success of your infection control strategy. Use tools like particle counters and air quality monitors to track contaminants in real time. This way, whenever you check in on the effectiveness, you have data-driven information to compare the decline or improvement of your infection control measures. 

Similarly, make sure that you’re checking in with staff to gather their feedback and experiences with the infection control measures as well. Implementing feedback mechanisms such as surveys or suggestion boxes allows your staff to easily and anonymously voice their concerns and provide suggestions. You can then take this data and put it to work in refining procedures and maintaining high standards of infection control.

Commit to Continuous Safety Improvement Today

Strengthening health and safety in hospitals through standard precautions is an ongoing commitment for facility managers. By focusing on education, training, regular audits, accessible PPE, clear communication, dust containment strategies, and feedback mechanisms, healthcare facilities can create a safer environment for everyone. These measures are crucial for maintaining compliance, protecting patients and staff, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in infection control standards. As a facility manager, you play a key role in implementing these strategies to enhance the overall health and safety in hospitals that you manage.

Equip your healthcare facility with the knowledge and tools to prioritize standard precautions for infection control today. Download our comprehensive guide on Infection Control for Facility Managers to get started.