305 Battling the Bugs: Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections Through Interprofessional Collaboration

Abstract Introduction Evidence reveals two million people acquire nosocomial infections in the United States every year. Transmission carriers have historically been the hands of healthcare workers and poor isolation techniques. Burn Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staff at an academic Magnet® hospital noted an increase in positive methicillin resistant staph aureus (MRSA) cultures (n=5) April 2016 to June 2016 and questioned an association between infectious agents. Pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used and revealed all 5 MRSA isolates were the same. Initial staff education and environmental sanitation took place in June 2016. However, 8 additional same-isolate MRSA infections were identified (July to November 2016.) This finding spurred the creation of an action plan to decrease hospital-acquired infections. Methods An interdisciplinary approach was undertaken to educate all staff who had a touch-point in the care of these patients on proper hand hygiene, correct donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and environmental sanitation. Over a 3 week period in December 2016, both didactic and hands-on activities were conducted to reinforce these concepts. Course content was developed as per Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. Two performance checklists were created to endorse competency. Validation of proper hand washing technique was accomplished using an ultraviolet light. To complement educational efforts, comprehensive and interprofessional actions were taken to reduce the transmission of MRSA isolates on the unit. They included core environmental cleaning, equipment evaluations looking for antimicrobial options, and voluntary decolonization of clinical staff with a nasal antimicrobial ointment. Results In April-November 2016, 68% of the MRSA isolates were similar PFGE. Following the implementation of inter-professional education and interventions to halt environmental transmission, a significant impact was noted upon infection rates. In January-March 2017, 33% of MRSA were identified as the endemic strain. As a result of this success, the institution provided education on isolation safety, infection transmission and proper donning and doffing of PPE house-wide to all staff during their annual clinical education days. Conclusions Equipment meant to protect a healthcare employee may often serve as an inadvertent source of contamination if proper hand hygiene, donning and doffing principles and environmental sanitation practi