One challenge standing in the way of physician-involvement in infection control programs in ambulatory surgery centers is lack of time. Tina Piotrowski, clinical director of Northwest Michigan Surgery Center in Traverse City, Mich., shares five ways ASCs can improve physician-involvement in infection control-related efforts.
1. Create a sense of urgency. A significant body of literature and studies show that ASCs demonstrate extremely low rates of infection control and maintain high patient safety. Because of this, Ms. Piotrowski says ASC physicians sometimes fall into an understandable but potentially dangerous mindset.
"ASCs really do experience very low infection rates, so infection control may not be as high on a physician's radar because they don't see it as a problem," she says. "Over the course of a number of cases in one year, the rate of infection is not statistically significant enough for physicians to feel they need to delve into intense educational training."
The reality, however, is that infection control issues can sneak up on even the most prepared healthcare facilities. ASCs must maintain a sense of urgency in maintaining a high level of infection control.
2. Employ physician-led educational sessions. Ms. Piotrowski says her surgery center recently launched a new initiative in which physicians would be offered the chance to provide a monthly 30-minute in-service to the center's staff. Although the physician-led in-services means physicians are free to talk about what they wish, this is an opportunity for them to open up about infection control issues. Following the 30-minute in-service, there is a 15-minute breakout "question and answer" session so staff member can raise questions and concerns about the subject that was just discussed.
"For example, one of our ophthalmologists could talk about TASS, which is a complication that could occur after cataract surgery," Ms. Piotrowski says. "Physicians can also talk about why certain surgical preps are chosen for certain specialties and procedures and so on."
3. Consolidate as many infection control-related meetings as possible. Particularly for multi-specialty ASCs, the number of meetings requiring attendance can stack up rather quickly. This is a problem for most ASC physicians, whose number one priority is ongoing patient care within ASCs. Ms. Piotrowski says one easy way to maintain physician-involvement in infection control-related meetings is consolidating the meetings where possible.
"Our surgery center has section meetings across specialties for our physicians. When possible, we try to tie infection control into these meetings because you don't want to burden the physicians with another commitment," Ms. Piotrowski says. "For example, the company we use for our cataract equipment will come in during a section meeting and give a brief in-service about best practices in cataract surgery."
Another way Northwest Michigan Surgery Center achieved meeting consolidation was with risk management in-services with sectional meetings.
4. Provide a summary of outcomes. Northwest Michigan Surgery Center provides all physicians with a quarterly provider summary, which serves as a report card of sorts. On the provider summary, physicians can see their individual rates for infections, complications, block time utilization transfer to hospitals and so on. Physicians are competitive and goal-oriented by nature, so providing summaries and reports with infection control parameters helps keep these issues in the forefront of their minds.
"The summary is a visual for the physicians. So from quarter to quarter, they can see if there were any increases in their infection or complication rates," Ms. Piotrowski says. "If there is a spike, the infection preventionist goes over the data with them, to look for trends or discuss any changes in practice. Physicians become really conscientious of that data and want to try to improve those numbers."
5. Allow them to quarterback infection control efforts. One way to increase or maintain physician-involvement in infection control matters is to encourage a sense of ownership or leadership in infection control programs. Allowing them to quarterback those initiatives gives physicians a chance to really lead the staff toward excellent patient outcomes and safety. One way Northwest Michigan Surgery Center exercises this is through the "time out" Antibiotic administration is addressed during the "time-out" as well as when there is a need for additional re-dosing.
Editor's note: To receive the new, free Becker's ASC-Hospital Clinical Quality & Infection Control E-Weekly, click here or e-mail rob@beckersasc.com .
Learn more about Northwest Michigan Surgery Center.
1. Create a sense of urgency. A significant body of literature and studies show that ASCs demonstrate extremely low rates of infection control and maintain high patient safety. Because of this, Ms. Piotrowski says ASC physicians sometimes fall into an understandable but potentially dangerous mindset.
"ASCs really do experience very low infection rates, so infection control may not be as high on a physician's radar because they don't see it as a problem," she says. "Over the course of a number of cases in one year, the rate of infection is not statistically significant enough for physicians to feel they need to delve into intense educational training."
The reality, however, is that infection control issues can sneak up on even the most prepared healthcare facilities. ASCs must maintain a sense of urgency in maintaining a high level of infection control.
2. Employ physician-led educational sessions. Ms. Piotrowski says her surgery center recently launched a new initiative in which physicians would be offered the chance to provide a monthly 30-minute in-service to the center's staff. Although the physician-led in-services means physicians are free to talk about what they wish, this is an opportunity for them to open up about infection control issues. Following the 30-minute in-service, there is a 15-minute breakout "question and answer" session so staff member can raise questions and concerns about the subject that was just discussed.
"For example, one of our ophthalmologists could talk about TASS, which is a complication that could occur after cataract surgery," Ms. Piotrowski says. "Physicians can also talk about why certain surgical preps are chosen for certain specialties and procedures and so on."
3. Consolidate as many infection control-related meetings as possible. Particularly for multi-specialty ASCs, the number of meetings requiring attendance can stack up rather quickly. This is a problem for most ASC physicians, whose number one priority is ongoing patient care within ASCs. Ms. Piotrowski says one easy way to maintain physician-involvement in infection control-related meetings is consolidating the meetings where possible.
"Our surgery center has section meetings across specialties for our physicians. When possible, we try to tie infection control into these meetings because you don't want to burden the physicians with another commitment," Ms. Piotrowski says. "For example, the company we use for our cataract equipment will come in during a section meeting and give a brief in-service about best practices in cataract surgery."
Another way Northwest Michigan Surgery Center achieved meeting consolidation was with risk management in-services with sectional meetings.
4. Provide a summary of outcomes. Northwest Michigan Surgery Center provides all physicians with a quarterly provider summary, which serves as a report card of sorts. On the provider summary, physicians can see their individual rates for infections, complications, block time utilization transfer to hospitals and so on. Physicians are competitive and goal-oriented by nature, so providing summaries and reports with infection control parameters helps keep these issues in the forefront of their minds.
"The summary is a visual for the physicians. So from quarter to quarter, they can see if there were any increases in their infection or complication rates," Ms. Piotrowski says. "If there is a spike, the infection preventionist goes over the data with them, to look for trends or discuss any changes in practice. Physicians become really conscientious of that data and want to try to improve those numbers."
5. Allow them to quarterback infection control efforts. One way to increase or maintain physician-involvement in infection control matters is to encourage a sense of ownership or leadership in infection control programs. Allowing them to quarterback those initiatives gives physicians a chance to really lead the staff toward excellent patient outcomes and safety. One way Northwest Michigan Surgery Center exercises this is through the "time out" Antibiotic administration is addressed during the "time-out" as well as when there is a need for additional re-dosing.
Editor's note: To receive the new, free Becker's ASC-Hospital Clinical Quality & Infection Control E-Weekly, click here or e-mail rob@beckersasc.com .
Learn more about Northwest Michigan Surgery Center.