VIPTA is a statewide infection prevention and control education collaborative, led by the Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group. Through partnership, VIPTA curates IPC resources for Virginia’s healthcare, congregate care, and public health settings.
Nuggets of Education That Are Perfect for Quick IPC Training
CDC’s Project Firstline (PFL) has created Micro-Learning toolkits. These toolkits have a user guide to orient the facilitator, a discussion guide with talking points, and a job aid for participants to keep. The newest toolkit focuses on diarrhea just in time for winter gastrointestinal season.
Target Audience: Foundations for healthcare workers
Resources:
Ways to Share These Resources
- It can be hard to get time with healthcare workers to do IPC training, so these are perfect bite-sized trainings for change of shift or a quick huddle up.
- The user guide and discussion guide talking points make it easier to have consistency among facilitators.
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.
H5N1 Bird Flu: Current Situation Summary (5/24/2024)
Updates on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (5/20/2024)
Health Advisory: Meningococcal Disease Cases Linked to Travel to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA): Ensure Pilgrims are Current on Meningococcal Vaccination (5/20/2024)
Rapid Evidence Product: Active Infection Surveillance of Clostridioides difficile ( diff) and Multidrug-Resistant Organisms: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), and Candida auris (5/9/2024)
VDH: Reporting Adverse Events in Children Following Exposure to THC and CBD Containing Products (4/24/2024)
What’s In Your Water?
Hayley Andrews, an infection preventionist in the southwest region of Virginia, used her curious mind and a desire to educate others to help uncover environmental contamination that caused an illness in one of her patients.
Hayley’s facility admitted a patient with sepsis, and blood cultures grew Aeromonas hydrophila. Because Hayley had never heard of this organism, she researched it and learned that it is typically a waterborne organism. Hayley took this information to the nursing unit where the patient was located and the patient’s son heard her educating the nurses about Aeromonas. He joined in and mentioned that his mom had a well and he was concerned that it may be contaminated.
The health department visited the home and tested the water. Sure enough, it was contaminated with Aeromonas and other organisms, and failed potability testing. The health department was able to get the patient an alternate, safe water source upon her discharge to prevent further infection until her well water could be remediated.
Thank you, Hayley! Your diligence prevented this patient from getting sick again, and perhaps prevented other neighbors from a similar outcome!
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.