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Ask the Expert: Because infection control is the responsibility of the entire staff, how can you ensure that everyone in your hospital is involved?

Accreditation Connection, May 30, 2005

"Having a standing committee makes infection control (IC) a priority," says Tammy Lundstrom, MD, vice president and chief quality and safety officer at Detroit Medical Center. "If you have a scheduled meeting with a standard agenda, it's more likely that you'll meet your goals."

Consider a wide range of committee members

The IC committee at Detroit Medical Center includes physician leaders, administrators, risk managers, pharmacy staff, nursing staff, operating room staff, and other frontline healthcare workers, Lundstrom says. Organizations can add other representatives depending on the services they provide.

Hospital leaders at the medical center believe the best way to address IC issues is through an interdisciplinary committee. Each program has a liaison who attends the monthly committee meetings.

The task force liaison can be someone other than a department manager. "In fact, it may be advantageous to have a frontline healthcare worker to get his or her perspective," says Lundstrom.

Educate on specifics

The liaisons then report the major news from the meetings to their fellow staff members, Lundstrom says. They can also ask staff members IC questions or address their concerns during the next task force meeting.

Allowing each unit to tailor education to its needs and scope of services works better than staff participating in a hospital-wide session, says Lundstrom.

All aboard

An interdisciplinary IC committee can help you draft new policies that comply with hospital standards and still allow departments to function efficiently without an extra burden, Lundstrom says.

The IC committee can draft a policy, and department leaders can then bring that policy back to discuss with their staff and make any necessary changes.

"We can draft policies until the cows come home, but if we don't pay attention to workflow, it won't work," Lundstrom says. "You need to have input from the particular group you're developing a policy for. The last thing you want to do is have policies that conflict with each other."

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