Mediaboss Marketing

Concise, pathogen-specific roadmaps will help guide healthcare facilities in outbreak response

Arlington, Va., May 1, 2023 To help infection preventionists (IPs) and epidemiologists operationalize prevention efforts for emerging infectious disease threats, APIC is launching a series of Playbooks that can be downloaded and customized for use in individual healthcare facilities.

Created by APICs Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force, each playbook serves as a fundamental roadmap to swiftly guide infection prevention and control (IPC) personnel through preparation for, and management of, potential infectious disease outbreaks. The pathogen-specific playbooks outline recommended practices for outbreak response starting with pathogen identification, prevention of transmission, safe work practices, considerations for providing patient care, patient discharge, occupational health, and outreach to healthcare stakeholders. Links to clinical guidance and references are included throughout.

We tapped our top infectious disease experts to develop these consolidated playbooks so that IPs and epidemiologists would have an advantage for future threats, said APIC 2023 President Patricia Jackson, RN, BSN, MA, CIC, FAPIC. We do not want to repeat the experience of COVID-19, where IPs lacked a set of standard instructions and had to search through numerous websites on a daily basis to find guidance. Its critical that we use what we learned during COVID-19 to improve infectious disease outbreak response to protect the patients and staff in our nations healthcare facilities.

Through use of the playbooks APIC is hopeful that facilities will be able to mobilize more quickly when faced with a novel, unidentified threat. Playbooks for invasive group A strep (iGAS) and Polio are now available on APICs Emerging Infectious Diseases webpage. All materials are open-access and available to the public.

Similar documents are being created for measles, Candida auris, highly pathogenic Avian Influenza, Marburg and Ebola Virus Disease, Diphtheria, norovirus, RSV, and COVID-19 surges. APICs EID Task Force can quickly create new playbooks when faced with a new infectious disease threat. In addition, best practice guidance will be created to help IPs and epidemiologists manage patient surges and prioritize the role of infection prevention in emergency management.

Founded in 1972, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) is the leading association for infection preventionists and epidemiologists. With more than 15,000 members, APIC advances the science and practice of infection prevention and control. APIC carries out its mission through research, advocacy, and patient safety; education, credentialing, and certification; and fostering development of the infection prevention and control workforce of the future. Together with our members and partners, we are working toward a safer world through the prevention of infection. Join us and learn more at apic.org.

# # #

Media contacts: Liz Garman, egarman@apic.org, 202-365-7421; Aaron Cohen, aaroncohenpr@gmail.com, 301-633-6773

See original here:
APIC Creates Emerging Infectious Disease 'Playbooks' - APIC