Administrative Policies and Procedures. Policy No.: IC2309 Title: Employee Health & Illness Infection Control Policy

Transcription

1 Administrative Policies and Procedures Originating Venue: Infection Control Policy.: IC2309 Title: Employee Health & Illness Infection Control Policy Cross Reference: Date Issued: 02/14 Date Reviewed: 02/14, 6/15 Date: Revised: 09/14 Attachment Page 1 of 4 Purpose: To minimize and eliminate employee and patient exposure to infectious disease. Policy: Premier Medical Group will promote a safe work environment, employee health education and wellness. This will include vaccination opportunities and the education of personnel to prevent injury through ergonomics, body mechanics, appropriate use of PPE, and safety designed sharps. PMG will monitor and provide care to personnel with work-related illness or exposure according to all NY State and Federal guidelines. Procedure: 1. All Premier Medical Group (PMG) employees will be tested/screened on hire, and annually for Tuberculosis per current CDC guidelines of testing/screening. 2. All PMG employees will be offered free of charge, the Influenza vaccine anually and will be encouraged to receive it. PMG will track employee acceptance and strive for increased compliance each year. Tracking will be done through the Infection Control Committee. 3. All PMG employees with risk for exposure to potentially infectious blood and body fluids will be offered free of charge the Hepatitis B Vaccine series. Follow up confirmation serology will also be made available. Signed consent and recording of the vaccine series will be maintained in the employee file in the Human Resources Department. 4. All PMG employees will be provided with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE s) to perform their job responsibilities in a safe environment to reduce risk of potential exposure to infectious disease. This includes where appropriate: gloves, masks, face shields, goggles/saftey glasses, gowns, hoods, mouthpieces, resuscitation bags, and saftey device needles/syringes/lancet devices. 5. All PMG employees will be trained on hire and reviewed annually in the proper designation, segregation, packaging, storage, treatment, handling, and disposal of infectious waste including: sharps/needles, blood and body fluids, dirty instruments and scopes, dirty linen, surgical wastes, contaminated equipment, pathological wastes and specimens. 6. Any PMG employee with a diagnosis of infectious/ contagious disease(i.e. Shingles/Varicella, pink eye, Strep, Shigella, Influenza, C-Difficile or Staph infection) or with a fever or diahhrea is to report this to their supervisor in an expiditious fashion for further follow up, direction, and recommendation. A physicians note for return to work may be required. Any unusual, multiple, or repeated employee illness of infectious nature needs to be reported to the Infection Control Coordinator and if neccesary to the Infection Control Committee for the purpose of tracking potential or suspected trends in infectious illnesses.

2 Policy.: IC2309 Page 2 of 4 7. Needles and other sharp objects are a source of infectious disease. Immediately dispose of such objects in the nearest needle disposal (sharps) container. Needle stick injuries require immediate follow up. Immediately report the injury to supervisor on duty and contact Human Resources for appropriate Needlestick/sharps injury incident report. Use proper safety devices when breaking glass ampules. Do not reach into wastebaskets. 8. Never pick up broken glass by hand. Always use mechanical devices such as a broom and dust pan or vacuum cleaner. 9. Linens: Protect yourself and others when you handle or transport linen. a. All linen is considered contaminated. Handle soiled linen as little as possible. b. Avoid shaking soiled linen and do not place on floor. c. Place soiled linen in appropriate linen bag at site of use. 10. Hygiene Etiquette: a. Always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Wash hands. b. Wash hands before eating. c. Wash hands after restroom use. d. Wash hands before and after any direct patient care activity or procedure. e. Always wash hands after removing personal protective equipment. f. Remind patients to wash their hands. g. Offer a surgical mask or tissues to visitors and patients who exhibit cold or flu-like symptoms. h. Stay home if you are sick with fever and cough. i. Handwashing procedure: j. Alcohol based products are 99.9% effective at killing organisms. k. Alcohol products cannot be used if hands are visibly soiled or if caring for a patient with Clostridium difficile. l. If washing hands with soap and water, run hands under warm water, use enough soap to form a good lather, scrub hands for at least 15 seconds or more, rinse with water, dry hands thoroughly, turn-off faucet using the towel to eliminate recontamination of hands. Remember: Hand washing is the most effective way to prevent the transmission of organisms from person to person 11. Standard Isolation Precautions a. Treat all patients as though they are potentially infectious. b. Protective equipment includes gloves, masks, eye wear and gowns. c. Wear protective equipment when at risk for exposure to blood and all moist body d. substances, mucous membranes or non-intact skin of all patients (i.e. gloves, gown, and eye wear as needed). e. Wash hands after removing protective equipment. f. Discard protective equipment in procedure or exam room. Do not wear protective equipment around the office space. g. Use mouth to mask, resuscitation bags or ventilation devices for resuscitation. h. Clean up all blood/body fluid spills promptly with an EPA registered hospital approved cleaner. i. Wear surgical mask and protective eye wear if aerosolization or splattering is likely.

3 Policy.: IC2309 Page 3 of Biohazardous Waste Disposal: a. Dispose of all waste contaminated with blood or body substances (excluding urine, feces, bloody linen or vomitus) in the biohazardous waste bins in our area. Bins arelined with red bags and labeled Biohazardous. b. All linen is considered biohazardous. Place soiled linen in yellow linen bag NOT in the red bag trash. Use gloves to remove linen from bed. c. Bloody urine and feces should be flushed down the toilet. d. Sharps containers must be changed when ¾ full. It is everyone s responsibility to change the sharps container. Employee Illness: To ensure fitness for duty the employee may be required to submit to a physical examination by a physician, nurse practitioner midwife, or a designee before final approval for employment certification or for return to work after illness is granted. The immediate supervisor of the employee will be notified, in writing, of the employee s return to work status by Human Resources. INFECTIOUS/CONTAGIOUS DISEASES THAT SHOULD BE REPORTED Acute Diarrhea - Employees with an acute diarrhea illness that is severe, is accompanied by other symptoms (such as fever, abdominal pain, or bloody stools) or lasts longer than 24 hours will be excluded from direct patient contact. Employees will be referred to their personal physician for evaluation and treatment. Employees with Salmonella will be excluded from the direct care of high risk patients (i.e. immunosuppressed patients, oncology patients) until stool cultures are Salmonella free on two (2) consecutive stool specimens collected not less than 24 hours apart. Employees infected by enteric pathogens other than Salmonella may return to work after symptoms resolve. The employee will be counseled prior to returning to work about the importance of frequent hand washing. Conjunctivitis - Employees determined to be infectious will be referred to their personal physician for treatment and removed from duty until on appropriate medication(s) for a minimum of 24 hours. Hepatitis - Employees who are known carriers of Hepatitis B will be counseled on precautions to minimize their risk of infecting others. Good hand washing and use of gloves for all direct care should be stressed. Any open cuts on skin will be covered with a band-aid or appropriate dressing. The Medical Director, in conjunction with the Infection Control Coordinator, will review such employees on a case by-case basis and may require work restrictions. Herpes Simplex Infection - The lesions should be crusted and appropriately covered with gloves, a facemask or dry dressing. Always wash hands after contact with lesions. Appropriate treatment should be sought. Employees with active non-genital herpetic lesions will not care for high-risk patients (i.e., immunosuppressed patients, oncology patients, burn patients, organ transplant patients). Respiratory Infections - Employees with respiratory tract infections will not be allowed to care for high-risk patients (i.e., immunosuppressed patients, patients with COPD). Influenza vaccine will be offered to all employees, volunteers, and medical staff during the months of October to December each year. Scabies and Pediculosis - Employees with exposure to patients or coworkers are offered treatment with appropriate medication when symptomatic.

4 Policy.: IC2309 Page 4 of 4 Employees may not work while active with the disease and will require a back to work order from physician or health care practitioner. Streptococcal Disease - In the event there is suspected streptococcal disease, the employee will be unable to work and will be referred to his/her personal physician for treatment or diagnosis. The employee may be allowed to return to work once on appropriate treatment for a minimum of 24 hours or when released to return to work from the personal physician and cleared through Human Resources. Tuberculosis (TB) - Employees with pulmonary TB whose sputum smear is positive for AFB will be excluded from work until adequate therapy has begun and the sputum is free of bacilli on three (3) separate days. Employees who discontinue medications for active pulmonary TB before the recommended course of therapy has been completed will not be allowed to work until approved by the Health Department or personal physician, and the Infection Control Coordinator of Premier Medical Group. Date Policy to be reviewed: 6/17

5 EMPLOYEE PPD ALGORITHM Have you ever had a BCG vaccination? YES NO You need to have the following test performed: QuantiFeron TB Gold Test (annually) A lab slip will be given to you by HR department Have you ever had a PPD test Is the Quantiferon TB GOLD Test Positive? Was it positive? Complete PPD You re done; submit results to HR/ICC Was the test done within 12 months of starting at Premier? Have you had a chest x-ray done in the past 12 month? Call HR to obtain a CXR prescription Call HR to obtain a CXR prescription Obtain a copy and give to HR/ICC Is PPD Positive? If the result of the chest x-ray shows no evidence of active disease you re done. Submit the results of the chest x-ray and the results of the QuantiFERON TB Gold Test to HR/ICC If the result of the chest x-ray shows no evidence of active disease you are done. Submit the results of the chest x-ray and positive PPD test to HR/ICC Contact HR to obtain a chest x-ray script You re done; submit results to HR/ICC * If the PPD is positive and the CXR is not normal or the Quantiferon Gold test is positive, further follow up will be required with the DOH or a primary care MD before return to work.