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Robin Novak, RN, CIC
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Director of Infection Prevention
and
Endoscopy
636.875.5088 ext. 101
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This Month's Training Opportunities
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CMS Survey Solutions Session #1
webinar
CMS Survey Solutions #2
CMS Survey
Solutions #3
Legal Considerations for Informed Consent
Over 70 Infection Prevention
topics/presentations available in our library.
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Volume 1, Number 12
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October 2017
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Hurricane Irma
I am saddened by the destruction in the path of Hurricane Irma. Entire villages, communities, and islands have been devastated. Some of the hospitals are evacuating their patients to hospitals in South Carolina. Please keep those that have been impacted in your thoughts.
ABOUT ROBIN NOVAK, RN, CIC
Registered Nurse, Certified Infection Preventionist dedicated to disease prevention and high quality healthcare. Strong decision maker who understands the importance of patient, visitor and staff safety following evidence based best practices.
Driven and compassionate healthcare professional with 30 years hands-on experience in fast-paced ambulatory surgery center and hospital environments. Accountable and responsible with an additional focus on Quality Assurance Process Improvement
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In the past, Robin has served as the SGNA Carolina Chapter President, involved in SGNA Practice Committee as well as a Regional Committee member. Robin has been active with APIC and is a current member of APIC PALMETTO. Robin was prior employed at the Ambulatory Surgery Center of Spartanburg since 2004 and held roles of Endoscopy Nurse, Endoscopy Charge Nurse and most recently the Quality Assurance Process Improvement Coordinator. Robin has worked on several infection prevention projects for Excellentia Advisory Group including a key role as a faculty speaker at our annual Infection Prevention Strategies for ASC's conference in Las Vegas.
Robin is now Excellentia's Director of Infection Prevention & Endoscopy.
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| Subscriber Question & My Answer |
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The Question:
We will be administering influenza vaccines at our facility. Are there any specific storage requirements.
The answer is yes. There are safe storage and handling requirements for all vaccines, including influenza. You can find them on the CDC website. They have created a nice toolkit to assist.
- Maintain a vaccine inventory log
- Store vaccines in separate, self-contained units that refrigerate or freeze only.
- Never store vaccines in a dorm style refrigerator.
- Use only calibrated thermometers that are calibrated at least every 1-2 years or per manufacturer recommendations.
- Have a "DO NOT UNPLUG" sign next to electrical outlets for the refrigerator/ freezer.
- Have a "DO NOT STOPPOWER" warning label by the circuit breaker for the electrical outlet.
- Thermometer has an active display to provide continuous monitoring, includes an alarm for out of range temperatures.
- Maintain refrigerator temperatures between 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Maintain twice daily temperature logs.
- Document minimum and maximum temperature reading in the refrigerator/ freezer once each day, preferably in the morning.
- Vaccines are stored in the middle of the refrigerator.
These have been just a brief glimpse of the vaccine storage requirements. You should read the toolkit for clarity. Also, the CDC has created a short video to discuss the influenza vaccine storage requirements and can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXaNvFJDv_c
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| Critter Craze |
By Robin O. Novak, RN, CIC
Who am I?
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- There are three types of me: A, B, and C
- I can cause epidemic human disease
- New variants emerge due to frequent antigenic changes
- I am a virus
- My reservoir can be: humans, swine, equine, avian, and marine mammals
- I have worldwide distribution
- My symptoms area: fever/ chills, headache, myalgia, malaise, anorexia; respiratory symptoms, dry cough, severe pharyngeal pain, nasal obstruction,
- I cause the greatest hospitalizations and deaths in persons aged ≥ 65 years of age or ≤ 5 years of age
- My greatest presence is usually between October to April
- Type C is not associated with a season
- I am spread through aerosol droplets, person to person, direct contact, indirect contact with articles recently contaminated
- My symptom onset is abrupt within 1-2 days of infection
- Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick
Email Robin at [email protected] with your response. You will receive a personalized reply with validation of the correct answer.
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If you are in need of assistance with your infection prevention program, Robin will be able to assist with everything from setting up your program, training your Infection Preventionist, writing or editing Policies & Procedures or just simple telephonic consultation. Robin is taking on-site requests for 2017 at this time. Secure a date on her calendar now.
Please let us know how we can help.
Sincerely,
Cathy Montgomery, RN, CASC Robin Novak, RN, CIC
636-875-5088 extension 102 636-875-5088 ext. 101
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