Can anyone help me with IC in LTC

[Bubbles82]

I'm a new ADON in a LTC center and have been given the job of IC nurse. The facility has been keeping a list of the residents, source, organism and treatment. Also has a log of residents and employees immunizations. Many of the policy and procedures are outdated (yellow, falling apart, some are handwritten and some from typewriters). I'm planning on forming an infection control committee and also doing inservices for staff Just wondering where to begin and if anyone has any good examples of spreadsheets or tips for organizing data and tracking information. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[bsrn0523]

Your best bet is to join www.apic.org and opt for the LTC subscription. APIC- the Association for Practitioners of Infection Control, along with government and state agencies, sets the standards for infection control in virtually all health care settings. Congratulations to you on your new position and good luck. I have also recently taken over the position of Infection Control Coordinator at a large LTC/LTAC, and I find the APIC site worth it's weight in gold.

[dogwalker]

Yes! Congratulations on your new position. I joined APIC and highly recommend checking the webiste daily. Soon I will be going to basic training with them in SF. I recently started tracking the HAIs on Word instead of on a written form. I can get a better idea of what's going on in house this way. My IS person developed a template for me and I can sort by unit, by infection, by date, etc. I didn't know Word did so much. I open a new template for each month. Then of course, I have to follow up on each infection to see if they meet the NHSN criteria for HAI etc. I am still new to this but finding it very challenging and stimulating. I also do rounds on the units and observe care particularly hand hygiene compliance.