Infection Prevention and Control for Pediatric Clinics

Description

Please note: although this activity does not offer CME or MOC credit, an AAP certificate of completion is provided/availableupon completion.

Experience with COVID-19 has underscored the importance of infection prevention in the office. This includes applying Standard Precautions for all patient care, regardless of the patient’s suspected or confirmed infection status. All healthcare facilities should ensure that infection prevention and control actions are taken to minimize the risk of exposure to infectious diseases.

The purpose of this course is to train pediatric practice managers on infection prevention and control (IPC) basics, and how to create safer environments for pediatric care teams, patients, and their families. Effective IPC measures start with a solid understanding of how infections are transmitted. Knowing how germs spread can help you to take action.  This course will provide the tools and resources needed to develop and implement IPC practices in your office setting.

Unit 1: Basics of Infection Transmission

1. Identify how infections can be transmitted in an office setting. 
2. Explain Standard Precautions to use with all patients. 
3. List Transmission-Based Precautions for patients with infections, including Contact, Droplet, and Airborne Precautions. 
4. Describe additional measures to take to prevent infection transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unit 2: Operations

1. Evaluate how CDC-recommended infection prevention and control (IPC) practices may be applied to your office setting.
2. Determine a respirator fit testing protocol for your facility, if applicable. 
3. Identify appropriate supplies to order to support office IPC practices. 
4. Assess your facility for proper ventilation and identify areas for improvement. 
5. Select methods for safe disposal of all medical and biological waste. 

Unit 3: Patient Care

1. Apply triage protocols to identify and minimize risk.
2. Communicate and report infection risks to patients, staff, and health authorities.
3. Summarize routine cleaning and disinfection protocols for patient visits. 
4. Identify appropriate PPE to use depending on patient, healthcare worker, and community factors. 
5. Summarize proper donning and doffing procedures for PPE. 

Course Details

• Start Date: April 21, 2022
• Online Access Expires: April 20, 2025
• Credit Expires: April 20, 2025
• Course ID: 59655

Acknowledgements

​​Project Firstline is a national collaborative led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide infection control training and education to frontline healthcare workers and public health personnel. American Academy of Pediatrics is proud to partner with Project Firstline, as supported through Cooperative Agreement CDC-RFA-OT18- 1802. CDC is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this program do not necessarily represent the policies of CDC or HHS and should not be considered an endorsement by the Federal Government.

Faculty

Subject Matter Experts

Suzanne Berman MD, FAAP

Michele Cheung MD, FAAP

Jill Venskytis CMM, HITCM-PP

Reviewers

Trisha Calabrese, MPH

Sunnah Kim, MS, RN

Kendra Cox (CDC)