Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)

Upcoming Events


World Health Organization: Your 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. Haemodialysis in ambulatory care.

My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene

Hand hygiene is essential for patient safety, and reminders are key! The World Health Organization’s “My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene” posters are customized to fit your work environment.

These new posters offer tailored guidance to fit different settings. Whether you’re working with patients in outpatient clinics or managing complex procedures in hemodialysis, these posters highlight the critical moments to clean your hands: before patient contact, before a clean procedure, after exposure to body fluids, after patient contact, and after touching patient surroundings.

Ways to Use This Resource

  • Update your orientation and trainings with the “My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene” poster that best matches your work environment.
  • Post education posters (with a wipeable surface) in spaces where staff do hand hygiene.

Target Audience: Essential IPC education level


Guidance & Regulation Updates

VIPTA members track guidance and regulation resources to share source documents that guide infection prevention and control practices for public health staff and clinical and non-clinical healthcare personnel.

The date of the regulation or guidance update is included in each post.  Please check linked content to be sure it is the most up to date and recommended practice.

Disruption in Production of IV Fluid Due to Impacts from Hurricane Helene
VDH
Any Practice Setting
Emergency Preparedness & Operations
Addresses the disruption in production of IV solutions as a result of Hurricane Helene on the Baxter International Inc. North Cove manufacturing facility in Marion, North Carolina. Includes updates, recommendations to mitigate the impact, and VDH’s response to the situation.
Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations
CDC
Acute Care Hospital
Adult Day Care
Ambulatory (Outpatient) Care
Department of Health
Home Health
Mobile Clinic
Nursing Home / Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
Vaccination
The recommended age for receiving the pneumococcal vaccination was lowered from 65 to 50 years to give more adults the opportunity to protect themselves from pneumococcal disease at the age when risk of infection substantially increases.
Marburg Virus Disease Update
VDH
Any Practice Setting
Emergency Preparedness & Operations
Update on the situation summary and CDC recommendations regarding the Marburg Outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Pharmacist Influenza Testing
VDH
Any Practice Setting
Emergency Preparedness & Operations
Information on VDH’s continued monitoring of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) in poultry and dairy cattle that has resulted in a small number of human infections in parts of the U.S.
Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in the Republic of Rwanda
CDC
Any Practice Setting
Emergency Preparedness & Operations
Information for clinicians and health departments about the Republic of Rwanda’s confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD). The Health Advisory summarizes recommendations for public health departments and clinicians in the U.S. on case identification and testing and clinical laboratory biosafety considerations.

VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital

This month we are highlighting the great infection prevention work at VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital. They haven’t had a reportable catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), central line-associated bloodstream infection, ventilator-associated event, MRSA bacteremia laboratory-identified event, or surgical site infection following a colon procedure in 2023 or 2024 so far! They are a small facility (only 37 beds), so even one healthcare-associated infection causes their standardized infection ratio to be high.

According to Director of Infection Prevention, Donna Tignor, and Director of Quality, Kate Bradshaw, they are most proud of their work on CAUTI reduction. VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital has the standard CAUTI prevention practices in place, such as a CAUTI prevention bundle and discussing necessity every day in interdisciplinary rounds. However, the initiative with the biggest impact was the facility’s effort to empower nurses to follow the nurse-driven protocol for urinary catheter removal. Despite having a nurse-driven protocol in place, nurses were still calling physicians for permission to remove the catheter. Infection prevention and nursing leaders rounded with staff to share their support for the nurse-driven protocol and empower nursing staff to follow the protocol. These leaders made a commitment to back up the nursing teams if the decision to remove a catheter under the protocol was called into question. Infection prevention at Tappahannock also performs in-person onboarding with new physicians so they can review the nurse-driven catheter removal protocol with them. This ensures that physicians are aware of the facility’s protocols and that this is a part of their culture. Great work VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital!


IPC Education & Training Library

Search the VIPTA library of curated infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training resources. The IPC Education & Training Resource Library includes state and national resources related to healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and/or IPC. Visit the VIPTA FAQ page to learn more about VIPTA library content.

 

Connect With VIPTA

Last Updated: February 14, 2024