Poster Presentation
Monday, November 5, 2007
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Monday, November 5, 2007
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM
387
Infection Control and Prevention in Home Healthcare: The Nurses' Bag and Evidence Based Practice
Irena Kenneley, PhD(cand), APRN-BC, CNS, CIC, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Describe current trends in human infectious disease pertinent to home healthcare practice.
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| Learning Objective #2: Explain general infection control and prevention practices for home health care and identify optimal evidence based practices for the care and handling of nurses' bags.
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Background: Within the US health care delivery system of today there are as many patients receiving health care in the home as in the inpatient setting. Although home healthcare has expanded in the US, infection surveillance, prevention, and control efforts have not kept up with the growing demand. The model for comprehensive surveillance and prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAI's) includes the acute care facility, the long-term care facility, the outpatient ambulatory care facility, and home healthcare. Home healthcare nurses’ bags are containers used to transport blood pressure cuffs, gloves, stethoscopes, and other patient care medical equipment. These bags are carried from home to home and the question of whether they may be contaminated with Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms (MDRO’s) has not been answered. Methods: A longitudinal cohort research design was implemented. Four home healthcare agencies participated in this study. The study sample consisted of 152 nurses’ bags (n = 152). Total of 456 cultures collected beginning in February, 2005 through August, 2006. SAMPLE: Nurses from Four Home Healthcare Agencies in Eastern Ohio were asked to voluntarily submit their personal nurses’ bag for microbiological culturing on the inside, outside, and the patient care equipment found inside of the bags. Nurses were asked to complete questionnaires documenting the routine care and handling practices of their personal nurses’ bags. Three of the four home care agencies participated; the responses were linked to each bag’s culture results (n = 47). Statistical Analysis: A secondary analysis was designed. Research questions tested for any significant correlations between the types of bacterial organisms isolated and: 1) Bag surface material type; 2) Routine cleaning frequencies and cleaning products used; and 3) Agency characteristics. Three Agencies, a sample of 47 home care nurses participated. Statistical analyses included Logistic Regression, Chi-Square and Relative Risk.