Health Information Portal (HIP)

Performed by experienced infection preventionists, these on-site consultations will help providers identify specific areas for improvement across various infection control domains. We will use the Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) tools by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a basis for the consultations; however, the visits can be tailored to address any concerns that the facility may have.

In addition to providing facilities with case definitions and line list templates to help identify and track infectious disease outbreaks, the HAI/AR Program staff is available for consultation on outbreak management strategies. Our goal is to help the facility implement effective interventions to limit the extent and duration of an outbreak in the facility.

Our current offerings include:

• Onsite short form education: interactive activities focused on hand hygiene, PPE, and environmental cleaning for staff
• Hand Hygiene Auditing Program: a training providing leadership with the tools needed to establish or strengthen a hand hygiene auditing program
• Injection Safety: injection safety infection prevention and control education presentation for staff or leadership
• Candida auris: C. auris infection prevention and control education presentation for staff or leadership
• Escape Room: interactive Escape Room challenge for staff focusing on PPE, Source Control, Hand Hygiene, and Environmental Cleaning

N95 respirator fit testing should be performed prior to initial respirator use, at least annually after the initial fit test, whenever a different respirator is used, and when visible changes in physical condition could affect the respirator fit. The HAI/AR Program staff is offering on-site qualitative fit test train-the-trainer sessions so you can go on to confidently fit test your employees.

The HAI/AR program offers a quarterly Healthcare Happenings newsletter highlighting recent HAI news and our program’s activities. The newsletter also includes our quarterly CRE and Candida auris surveillance report. To subscribe, fill out our HAI/AR Services Survey, or email HAI.PDPH@phila.gov.

Commitment posters have been shown in studies to help promote antibiotic stewardship amongst clinicians and also serve to educate patients on appropriate antibiotic use. By displaying a practice-specific poster, providers can demonstrate their commitment to using antibiotics appropriately. We can provide your facility with a personalized poster (with provider photos and signatures) in a PDF format and a limited number of printed and laminated copies for display in your practice or facility’s patient care areas.

The Targeted Assessment for Prevention (TAP) Strategy, developed by the CDC, uses data for action to prevent healthcare-associated infections. For facilities participating in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), NHSN data can be used to identify areas with excess infections. PDPH will provide the facility with a staff survey to identify gaps in knowledge of infection prevention practices and targets for improvement. For facilities that do not participate in NHSN, the survey can be used as a stand-alone tool. PDPH will analyze the survey data and provide the facility with customized feedback reports that can be used to develop quality improvement projects and education materials.The survey data is non-identifiable and will be kept confidential.