The fourth annual "Conference forwa...

The fourth annual "Conference forward Infectious Diseases" was held June 25 and 26 1998 in Roswell, Ga. It was attended by dint of perioperative nurses, infection control practitioners, cherish consultants, and other perioperative partners. Leading infectious disease skilfuls from centers across the home including the Centers for Disease govern and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, readyed topics that concern perioperative practitioners in their practice environments. The topics addressed principles of infectious processe and the diseases that are collisioned during patient care.

The AORN Center for Perioperative Education, the AORN Foundation, and the Georgia State Council, in conjunction with an educational grant from Kimberly-Clark Corp, Roswell, Ga, sponsored the parley The conference also was commended by the Association for Professionals in Infection have charge of and Epidemiology (APIC).

Perioperative festers and infection control practitioners who attended this colloquy shared many positive comments, similar as "Lots of useful information," worthy conference," "Excellent speakers," "Topics were timely," "Was the best conversation attended," and "I will approve this event to my coworkers."

Networking opportunities began during a welcome reception and dinner armed forceed by Kimberly-Clark Corp. Representatives from AORN, APIC, and Kimberly-Clark Corp were able to use the opportunity to appropriate conference participants and begin discussing perioperative issues associated with infection control

interview OVERVIEW

Leading infectious disease person specially versed s and representatives from the CDC not past nor futureed content to meet conference goals, which were to

* discuss the implications of aspect to infectious diseases for surgical patients and

* identify couple ways members of the perioperative health care team can proactively impede the spread of infectious diseases.

J Michael Miller, PhD ABBM, director of microbiology technical services and acting chief of the hospital environment laboratory branch at CDC provided an overview of microbiology as the basis for understanding infectious diseases. He familiarized the audience with principles to understand infectious processe and diseases by dint of reviewing cell structure, viruses, fungi, and microbial shooting Dr Miller emphasized the importance of specimen management.

William R Jarvis, chief of the investigative and prevention branch of the CDC hospital infections program, discussed the changing epidemiology of health care in acute care facilities and infectious disease outbreaks. He stated that nosocomial infection rates appear to have decreased, based forward information from hospital admissions and amplifications of stay. Dr Jarvis also stated that information has not been substantiated related to infection rates associated with residence care, although there is a prevailing belief that there are fewer infections in the household Few guidelines are available for standardizing hearth health care provision and patient teaching; therefore, many variables exist related to information that patients receive and patient outcomes

Charles E Edmiston, Jr PhD CIC, associate professor of surgery and director of the surgical microbiology research laboratory at the Medical community of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, presented various studies. Studies were shared upon topics related to perioperative practices like as the influence of traffic manage and wearing masks on surgical site infections and the implications of microbial shedding forward perioperative nursing care.

Robert P Gaynes, MD chief of the nosocomial infections surveillance program, CDC discussed the importance of controlling antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) He noted that resistance increases through the whole extent of time in virtually all nosocomial infections. He boisterousnessed that clinical practice guidelines must be adhered to for the prevention of surgical site infections at paying attention to the environment, preparation of patients, personnel practices, and use of prophylactic antibiotics. Dr Gaynes reiterated that the same attention and approach that is taken when bloodborne pathogens became a business should be used to minimize casualty of multimedication-resistant organisms. He further outlined specific issues for OR personnel in management of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.

Fran Slater, RN MBA, CIC, CPHQ manager of the Infection Prevention and direct Department for the Methodist Hospital, Houston, exhibited APIC. She is currently president of APIC. She identified in every one's mouth infection prevention and control issues from an infection ascendency practitioner's viewpoint. Slater also included strategies that should be implemented as they relate to multimedication-resistant organisms.

Robert A. Weinstein, MD chair, division of infectious diseases, give a color to County Hospital, Chicago, and professor of medicine, Rush Medical college edifice [i]or[/i] building Chicago, identified the latest emerging infectious and parasitic diseases. He discussed antibiotic use and ascendency and potential outcomes if antibiotic resistance cannot be controlled