Question

PLEASE TYPE YOUR ANSWER

You have just been appointed as the chairperson of the infection control committee. What functions as the leader of the committee would you complete beforehand in setting up, planning, and evaluating the outcomes of this committee?

Answer 1

Ans) The Infection Control Committee has the authority to plan, monitor and update infection control policies and procedures; surveillance of infections, product evaluation, investigation of infection outbreaks and infection clusters and development of infection control procedures for all departments.

- The mission of the Infection Control Committee is to minimize risks and spread of infectious diseases, and implement corrective actions to ensure the safety of WWRC clients, employees and visitors. This is accomplished by staff education, surveillance of infection trends, appropriate monitoring and implementation of existing / new policies and procedures as needed.

Scope of Authority:

1. The Infection Control Committee provides advice and guidance to all departments regarding practice of infection control , strategies for surveillance, prevention and control of facility associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and related events to ensure the safety of clients, visitors and staff members.

2. The Infection Control Committee intervenes to enforce infection control policies and procedures which includes initiating and terminating isolation procedures, arranging for appropriate client placement and may include discharging clients from WWRC.

3.The Infection Control Committee has the authority to plan, monitor and update infection control policies and procedures; surveillance of infections, product evaluation, investigation of infection outbreaks and infection clusters and development of infection control procedures for all departments.

Membership and Roles:

The Infection Control Committee is a multidisciplinary committee charged with coordination, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive infection control program. The goal of this team is to bring together individuals representatives from all the departments across WWRC. The diverse membership enables the committee to address, issues from several perspectives and develop the best solutions possible. Membership on the committee is ongoing, but additional staff members may be asked to provide input, in the form of ad hoc advisory, as the need arises.

The Infection Control Committee shall include the following representatives:

1. Physician

2. Infection Control Coordinator

3. Safety and Risk Management

4. Nursing

5. Counseling

6. Facility Services

7. Therapies (OT, PT, Communication Services)

8. Vocational Services

9. Residential Services

Roles of the ICC members:   

1. Physician - Infection Control Committee Chair

Provides guidance and leadership to the Infection Control Committee and to the Infection Control Coordinator regarding epidemiology.
Initiates and discontinues isolation precautions in a timely and appropriate manner.
Provides consultation for infectious disease issues Center-wide.
Evaluates the effectiveness of the infection control program.
Approves the agenda and minutes for each infection control meeting.
2. Infection Control Coordinator

Reports to the Infection Control Chairperson.
Investigates infection clusters and unusual pathogens, as need indicates.
Will ensure that if corrective action needs to be taken, this can be accomplished by policy changes, educational activities and individual counseling.
Provides consultation and recommendations for infection control policies, protocols and procedures for Center-wide practices.
Report any outbreak investigations or state reporting requirements to the Virginia Department of Health (VDH).
Provides guidance for safety needle device use and product selection per OSHA's BBP standard.
Maintains an updated infection control manual available to all staff with at least annual review or as need indicates.
Establishes an agenda for each infection control meeting, with approval form the Infection Control Chairperson.
Designated as the person who will complete and provide accurate minutes of Infection Control Committee meetings.
Sends approved minutes to all Infection Control Committee members and Medical Rehab Services Director.
3. Safety and Risk Management:

Submits infection control concerns/issues for discussion.
Acts as a liaison for their specified areas, sharing relevant information from the Infection Control Committee meetings.
Shares pertinent information from Safety and Risk Management meetings.
4. Nursing:

Submits infection control concerns/issues for discussion.
Acts as a liaison for their specified areas, sharing relevant information from the Infection Control Committee meetings.
Submits Quarterly Employee Health/Nursing Report (number of PPD's administered and results, Hepatitis B vaccine series given and infection control medical review of client MDRO clearance results).
5. Counseling:

Submits infection control concerns/issues for discussion.
Acts as a liaison for their specified areas, sharing relevant information from the Infection Control Committee meetings.
6. Housekeeping:

Submits infection control concerns/issues for discussion.
Acts as a liaison for their specified areas, sharing relevant information from the Infection Control Committee meetings.
Provides cleaning products and cleaning schedules –information regarding new products as requested, reviews and updates current cleaning schedules and cleaners and disinfectants used.
7. Therapies (OT, PT and Communication Services):

Submits infection control concerns/issues for discussion.
Acts as a liaison for their specified areas, sharing relevant information from the Infection Control Committee meetings.
Quarterly report to include random monitoring of infection control protocols in the clinic areas and MDRO isolations with checklist for protocol adherence.
8. Vocational Services:

Submits infection control concerns/issues for discussion.
Acts as a liaison for their specified areas, sharing relevant information from the Infection Control Committee meetings.

9. Residential Services:

Submits infection control concerns/issues for discussion.
Acts as a liaison for their specified areas, sharing relevant information from the Infection Control Committee meetings.
Responsibilities

Perform Infection Prevention Activities:

1. Surveillance of Infections – Review surveillance data looking for unusual epidemics, clusters of infections, infections due to unusual pathogens or any occurrence of healthcare associated infections; initiate isolation procedures as indicated

2. Education – Orientation and annual, mandatory programs (BBP, TB, Hepatitis B)

3. Consultation – Professional guidelines (CDC, VDH, OSHA, APIC), infection control manual

4. Performance Improvement – Compliance monitoring of staff and clients

5. Policies and Procedures – Base on regulations, standards and current guidelines, enforce policies, review periodically, revise as needed

6. Provide committee review and updates for the following WWRC Plans:

Exposure Control Plan
Bioterrorism Readiness Plan
Pandemic Influenza Readiness Plan
Tuberculosis/Respiratory Protection Plan
7. Outbreak Investigations/State Reporting Requirements – Report to Virginia Department of Health (VDH) as required

8. Problem Solving – Assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating infection control issues and resolutions

Meetings:

1. The Infection Control Committee will meet every quarterly the third Tuesday, of the month February, May, August and November (2-3 pm).

2. The Infection Control Chairperson may schedule additional meetings if issues arise that cannot wait until the next scheduled committee meeting.

3. If a committee member is unable to attend, an alternate should be designated to represent the department and assume full voting rights.