Environmental service workers as potential designers of infection control policy in long-term care settings - 31/03/20
, Julia E. Friberg, MPH a, Cassie Cunningham Goedken, MPH a, Lisa Pineles, MA c, d, Heather Schacht Reisinger, PhD a, e, f, Daniel J. Morgan, MD, MS c, d, Samantha L. Solimeo, PhD, MPH a, b, e, f, gHighlights |
• | Designing infection prevention policies in long-term care is logistically complex. |
• | Use of private and public space impact how staff engage in infection control. |
• | Environmental service workers contribute unique perspectives on infection control. |
Résumé |
Background |
Long-term care facility residents are at higher risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection and colonization than the general population. In 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) implemented the “methicillin-resistant S. aureus prevention initiative” in long-term care facilities (ie, Community Living Centers or “CLCs”).
Methods |
Over 4 months, 40 semistructured interviews were conducted with staff in medicine, nursing, and environmental services at 5 geographically dispersed CLCs. Interviews addressed knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs concerning infection prevention and resident-centered care. A modified constant comparative approach was used for data analysis.
Results |
In CLCs, staff work to prevent and control infections in spaces where residents live. Nurses and Environmental Service Workers daily balance infection prevention conventions with the CLC setting. Infection control team members, who are accustomed to working in acute care settings, struggle to reconcile the CLC context with infection prevention.
Discussion |
The focus on the resident's room as the locus of care, and thus the main target of infection control, misses opportunities for addressing infection prevention in the spaces beyond the residents’ rooms.
Conclusions |
Environmental Service Workers’ daily work inside the rooms and within the wider facility produces a unique perspective that might help in the design of workable infection control policies in CLCs.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Key Words : Veterans, Space, Qualitative research, Therapeutic place, Long-term care
Plan
| Conflicts of interest: We have no conflicts of interest to declare. |
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| Declarations: This work was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Delivery Service [CRE 12-307 to DJM, Principal Investigator]; Dr. Solimeo received partial support for this work from Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Delivery Service Career Development Award [CDA 13-272 to SLS]. Drs. Solimeo, Reisinger, Van Tiem and Ms. Friberg and Goedken received partial support for this work from Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Delivery Service through the Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Department of Veterans Affairs, Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA [CIN 13-412]. The Department of Veterans Affairs had no role in the analysis or interpretation of data or the decision to report these data in a peer-reviewed journal. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government. |
Vol 48 - N° 4
P. 398-402 - avril 2020 Retour au numéro
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