Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. For example, we introduced a new infection control standard that requires to offer influenza vaccinations to staff, volunteers and licensed independent field staff with close patient contact. We also will collect and analyze immunization rates and implement methods to help improve compliance. Evaluate infection prevention and control practices: Once a program is established and implemented, it is essential to periodically evaluate whether goals and objectives are being achieved. What works one year may not work the next, and practices may need to change while new practices are introduced. We evaluating the program at least annually, and more often if appropriate, to help determine whether the IPC program is on target. PLAN FOR INFECTION EMERGENCIES: Our Agency is an important resource for the community during stressful and challenging health care events. Should there be an epidemic, pandemic or other major occurrence involving infectious agents, our Agency ability to deliver care with decreased services and expanded needs will depend in part on how well we planned for these events. Our Agency will care for patients during an emergency, for that reason our plan has addressed infection control issues such as: supplies, (we maintain a list of out of state suppliers) personnel, (we maintain our active employee list up to date) communication, utilities, patient place of service, (we maintain a prioritized emergency list) triaging, isolation and barrier precautions, and support services. When pandemic like influenza or any other spread infection is in the community, our agency should consider contacting patients before the home visit to determine whether persons in the household have an influenza or other infection-like illness. • If patients with pandemic influenza are in the home, we will consider: • Postponing nonessential services, we will admit new patients following droplet precautions only. • Assigning staff who are not at increased risk for complications of pandemic influenza to care for these patients • Staff who enter homes where there is a person with an influenza-like illness should follow the recommendations for standard and droplet precautions (like use masks). Professional judgment should be used in determining whether to don a surgical or procedure mask upon entry into the home or only for patient interactions. Factors to consider include the possibility that others in the household may be infectious and the extent to which the patient is ambulating within the home. We constantly review and use best practices for infection prevention and control throughout the entire Agency. Hand hygiene is critical to reducing HAIs. Although seemingly simple, achieving hand hygiene compliance is often difficult. We using a multimodal approach and understanding Home Health Agency Nursing Care & Procedures K-90