Infection Preventionists
The HAI/AR Infection Prevention (IP) team plays a crucial role in minimizing risk to patients and staff in all types of healthcare settings. HAI/AR’s IP team is diverse and includes registered nurses, epidemiologists, and dialysis experts. This diversity allows for a greater understanding of recommendations and guidance—key components in establishing the most appropriate solutions to combat healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Most of the Infection Preventionists have obtained a Certification in Infection Control and Epidemiology (CIC). Some of the responsibilities of the Infection Prevention team are investigating potential outbreaks, providing support and guidance to a variety of healthcare entities, providing education, and responding to inquiries in the HAI.Health@tn.gov inbox. Members of the team are assigned to a TDH region but provide state-wide support if needed.
Resources
Educate: Developing Knowledge and Skill in Hand Hygiene (youtube.com)
A cluster of hemodialysis-related bacteremia linked to artificial fingernails - PubMed (nih.gov)
Pathogenic organisms associated with artificial fingernails worn by healthcare workers - PubMed (nih.gov)
Clinical Safety: Hand Hygiene for Healthcare Workers | Clean Hands (cdc.gov)