Infection Control and Prevention Updated, 2 CEU

An effective infection prevention and control program is more than hand hygiene, PPE, and written policies. Home care administrators are responsible for ensuring that infection prevention is incorporated into agency operations, personnel practices, training, quality management, and the delivery of care in the home.

This course provides Colorado home care administrators and managers with a practical framework for developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating an agency-wide infection prevention and control program. Participants review Standard Precautions, personnel health and training requirements, surveillance and identification of infections, reporting and investigation, monitoring of patterns and trends, corrective action, and documentation of infection prevention activities.

The course also addresses applicable requirements of 6 CCR 1011-1 Chapter 26 and Chapter 2, including influenza immunization requirements, infectious disease mitigation, vaccine and treatment planning, and requirements that may apply when an agency uses or provides medical devices and supplies.

Throughout the course, infection prevention is connected to the agency’s Quality Management Program and, for Medicare-certified agencies, QAPI. Administrators learn how to move beyond having policies on paper to demonstrating that the agency identifies infection risks, responds to problems, evaluates whether corrective actions work, and maintains evidence of ongoing compliance.

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Explain the purpose and required components of an effective infection prevention and control program.
• Describe the administrator’s role in infection prevention and control.
• Apply Standard Precautions to home care operations.
• Explain personnel health, infection-control training, influenza, and infectious-disease planning requirements.
• Use surveillance and monitoring data to identify infection risks, patterns, and trends.
• Integrate infection prevention findings and corrective actions into the agency’s Quality Management Program.
• Identify documentation needed to demonstrate implementation and ongoing compliance.