Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a significant threat to patient safety. To mitigate this risk, both North and South Dakota offer a range of resources to support infection prevention and control efforts. By utilizing these resources, healthcare facilities can strengthen their infection prevention and control programs, leading to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.
North Dakota Resources:
The ND HAI team has a wide variety of resources available to promote best practice learning, provide support for infection prevention, and collaboration opportunities virtually and in-person. Check out their webpages for resources or contact the team for assistance.
- Infection Control Assessment & Response Visits (ICARs)- Have a trained consultant work one-on-one with the infection preventionist, committee members, and/or department managers to identify any potential IPC gaps and guide quality improvement.
- Fun Interactive Games- Learning should be fun! What better way to learn and put knowledge to the test by playing some exciting games! Now available are 7 crossword puzzles, 18 interactive graphics, and 4 single/multiplayer games.
- Fit Testing Events- Have a trained consultant come into the facility to assist with annual N95 respirator fit testing for all staff.
- Skills Fair Events- Have a trained consultant come to the facility to assist the team with the annual skills’ fair event.
- Education & Training- Trained consultants can provide the team with virtual or in-person education and training on any infection prevention topic.
- North Dakota Infection Prevention App- Everything infection prevention and control right at the touch of one’s fingertips! Whether it’s guidelines, protocols, or education materials, everything is available on this app. Available in both the Apple and Google Play store.
- Posters- A wide variety of infection prevention and control poster topics are now available in 9 different languages.
- Infection Prevention and Control Training Videos- Bite-sized videos are designed to deliver concise yet comprehensive training on crucial healthcare topics. There are 20 different topics that cover IPC information for all types of healthcare professionals.
- Project Firstline Mini-Training Packets- Use for in-services, monthly education reminders, staff huddle education take-away’s’, skills fairs, etc.
- Brochures and Digital Brochures to order for educational use in facilities.
Additional ND HAI Resources:
- Infection Prevention and Control | Health and Human Services North Dakota
- Antibiotic Resistance and Antimicrobial Stewardship | Health and Human Services North Dakota
- Antibiograms | Health and Human Services North Dakota
ICAR Team Email: hhsicar@nd.gov
South Dakota Resources:
South Dakota Department of Health is actively engaged, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in working to address the issue of HAI prevention.
- You can find many different resources and topics on their website page Healthcare-Associated Infections.
- Find information on how to schedule a free ICAR for your facility along with fun activities and IC trainings at SD Project Firstline.
- If you need help with NHSN you can access the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Training.
- Visit the SD Infection Preventionist’s Guide to Long-Term Care to find additional resources for LTC.
- Access the SD Data Dashboards to view the collection of data covering various topics, including but not limited to chronic diseases, infectious diseases, behavioral risk factors, maternal and child health, environmental health, infant mortality and school immunization.
CDC Resources:
- Visit the CDC HAI Toolkit HAI Prevention, Control and Outbreak Response for Public Health and Healthcare
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HAI Outbreak Investigations Toolkit: Resources for investigating healthcare-associated infection (HAI) outbreaks.
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Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) Tool for General Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Across Settings: Assess and improve a healthcare facility’s infection control and prevention practices.