VIPTA is a statewide infection prevention and control education collaborative, led by the Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group. Through partnership, VIPTA curates IPC resources for Virginia’s healthcare, congregate care, and public health settings.
Ready Before the Rush: Respiratory Disease Season Resources
Respiratory disease season is on the way. October is a great time to get prevention messages in front of staff, patients, and residents before respiratory illness activity picks up.
Check out the Guidance, Recommendations, & Regulatory Updates section for new respiratory disease season updates. Learn what’s new for sick or exposed healthcare workers and how to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases at your workplace.
Then, grab a few ready-to-use training tools to help your team put prevention into action.
What to Expect:
- VDH Respiratory Disease Resources: Find flyers, social media graphics, and healthy habits tools. You’ll also find vaccine information, flu materials, and more.
- CDC Respiratory Illness Season Toolkit: Find posters, handouts, social media graphics, and videos. Use them to help your team prepare for respiratory disease season.
- National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) Respiratory Disease Resources: Mix up your flu education with 30-second videos and graphics. You’ll also find the “Wild to Mild” campaign and an antiviral infographic.
Put it into Action:
- Start early. Add a reminder to your next staff huddle. Post one in a waiting area.
- Keep it quick. Show a short video at a meeting.
- Mix it up. Share a new message each week. Cover vaccines, healthy habits, symptoms, or treatment.
- Know what’s going around. Check Virginia respiratory disease data. Share key updates with your team.
Start now and keep it simple. You’ll have tools ready when you need them.
Target Audience: Foundational & Intermediate IPC Education Level
Bug Busters!
This month, we are featuring the UVA Health Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) team and their Bug Busters program!
Attending the IP Roadshow with Ginger Vanhoozer from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) inspired Julianna Felsher, Jim Hovanec, Ann Sidebottom, and Fati Craighead to bring fun infection prevention and control education to acute care at UVA Health University Medical Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In August 2024, the IP&C team launched a mobile poster board initiative to deliver timely, engaging education across units. The cart (with candy, of course!) features rotating content on key topics like catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), and other relevant infection prevention efforts. Each section is updated monthly, with educational materials attached via Velcro® for easy customization. The team spends about 30 minutes per unit, giving staff the flexibility to engage around their clinical duties. Creative themes–such as December’s festive “Grinch Busters”–help draw attention and boost participation.
Bug Busters has been very well received by the staff who have commented on how much they love the colorfulness of the board, the informal setting, and of course, the candy! The casual nature of education encourages staff to ask questions that they may not have realized they even had. They have even had departments such as wound care ask how they can create their own education programs just like this one.
Thank you to the UVA Health IP&C team for sharing your program with us and helping our readers find creative ways to bring education to the masses!
