Healthcare professionals from long-term care facilities across South Dakota had the opportunity to participate in an Association for Professionals in Infection Control (APIC) Certificate Series hosted by the South Dakota Department of Health (DOH), Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) program. The Education for Prevention of Infection (EPIÒ) in Long-Term Care program provides baseline infection prevention control content through in-person and on-line sessions.
The DOH HAI program provided the education series, free of charge, to help prepare facilities for the impact of the newly published federal regulations regarding infection prevention and control in long-term care facilities.
HAI Program Manager, Kipp Stahl, was pleased with the results. “We had 78 attendees go through the certificate series and I feel most got a lot out of the training. Many good questions were asked and we couldn’t have had better APIC presenters.”
“The timing for this training opportunity was amazing and will support the infection prevention control changes outlined in the new federal regulations,” added Great Plains Quality Innovation Network (QIN) Program Manager Lori Hintz. “The in-depth content provided in the series was beneficial for long-term care professionals at all levels.”
The courses included a wide range of topics:
- State and federal regulations for infection prevention and control
- Basics of epidemiology and microbiology
- Environmental services’ roles in infection prevention
- Microbiology 101 for Infection Preventionists
- Basic Statistics for Infection Preventionists
- Effectively Using Data
- Clostridium difficile: What to watch for and how to manage an outbreak
- Proper cleaning and disinfection in long-term care settings
After attending four days of in-person classes and completing the on-line education, learners will take an exam with questions covering all of the content. Those who pass the final exam will earn the APIC Certificate of Infection Prevention Training.
“Infection prevention and management impacts the healthcare industry in every setting, and long-term care facilities face a special set of challenges,” Hintz explained. “After attending the training, I am excited to share new knowledge and resources for quality improvement.”
Great Plains QIN provides technical assistance for healthcare associated infections to a variety of healthcare facilities including nursing homes and hospitals. Join the Learning and Action Network to learn more about the initiatives and education opportunities.