12/08/2022

Survey Tip of the Week: Infection Preventionist Training

The Requirements of Participation §483.80(b)(4) states that the infection preventionist (IP) must have completed specialized training in infection prevention and control. Citations have resulted from turnover in staff and the facility not having a current individual who has completed the specialized training. The State Operations Manual provides the following additional guidance:

Infection prevention and control (IPC) training must be sufficient to perform the role of the IP. Specialized training in IPC may include care for residents with invasive medical devices, resident care equipment (e.g., ventilators), and treatment such as dialysis as well as high-acuity conditions. If a facility's resident population changes, the IP should re-evaluate his/her knowledge and skills, and may need to obtain additional training for the change in the facility’s scope of care.

An IP must have obtained specialized IPC training beyond initial professional training or education prior to assuming the role. Training can occur through more than one course, but the IP must provide evidence of training through a certificate(s) of completion or equivalent documentation.

CMS recommends specialized training include the following topics:

• Infection prevention and control program overview,
• The infection preventionist’s role,
• Infection surveillance,
• Outbreaks,
• Principles of standard precautions (e.g., content on hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, injection safety, respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, environmental cleaning and disinfection, and reprocessing reusable resident care equipment),
• Principles of transmission-based precautions,
• Resident care activities (e.g., use and care of indwelling urinary and central venous catheters, wound management, and point-of-care blood testing),
• Water management,
• Linen management,
• Preventing respiratory infections (e.g., influenza, pneumonia),
• Tuberculosis prevention,
• Occupational health considerations (e.g., employee vaccinations, exposure control plan, and work exclusions),
• Quality assurance and performance improvement,
• Antibiotic stewardship, and
• Care transitions.

A free online training is available and was developed by a collaboration between CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The "Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Training Course" is located on CDC's TRAIN website. Other trainings may be available from entities such as associations, state public health, and universities.

Providers should have their infection preventionist certificate of training readily available for surveyors to review. LeadingAge Ohio encourages providers to consider all staff involved in infection control tracking to consider completing the specialized infection control training. The State Operations Manual Appendix PP provides additional detail on the infection preventionist requirements that facilities can use to ensure compliance.  Additionally, the infection control survey pathway can be found on the CMS Nursing Home webpage and under the downloads section on this CMS webpage.

LeadingAge continues to develop webinars and resources on the updated guidance, which will be located on the LeadingAge learning hub. QuickCasts on the regulatory groups continue to be added.  Updated checklists have also been added on the Nursing Home RoP Tools and Resources webpage. For more information about the updated requirements of participation and citations occurring in Ohio, please join us on the monthly STAT: Survey Tips and Tactics call. Register now for the December 14 call at 10:00AM. LeadingAge Ohio is sharing tips to assist members during the survey process. Send questions you’d like addressed in future Tips of the Week to Stephanie DeWees at sdewees@leadingageohio.org.