Virginia Infection Prevention & Control Training Alliance (VIPTA)
VIPTA is a statewide infection prevention and control education collaborative, led by the Virginia Healthcare-Associated Infections Advisory Group.Through partnership, VIPTAcurates IPC resources for Virginia’s healthcare, congregate care, and public health settings.
Respiratory season is still in full swing, with rising cases of seasonal influenza locally and H5 bird flu infections and human metapneumovirus globally. It’s the perfect time to revisit the basics of cough etiquette, a critical component of Standard Precautions to reduce the spread of infections. This month, we’re featuring the Pause for Prevention: Cough Etiquette resource developed by Health Quality Innovation Network, a VIPTA partner, to enhance infection prevention and control (IPC) practices across healthcare settings.
What to Expect
A three-page education package with an educational flyer and a facilitator guide designed to train on cough etiquette using workplace learning principles.
You can use everyday items like a spray bottle and personal protective equipment to create quick, interactive demonstrations that leave a lasting impression on participants.
Ways to Share this Resource
Use in team huddles, small group orientation, or one-on-one training sessions.
Adapt the scenarios to role-play situations involving your healthcare roles and facility.
VIPTA members track guidance and regulation resources to share source documents that guide infection prevention and control practices for public health staff and clinical and non-clinical healthcare personnel.
The date of the regulation or guidance update is included in each post. Please check linked content to be sure it is the most up to date and recommended practice.
To prevent delays in identifying human infections with avian influenza A (H5N1) viruses, especially during periods of high seasonal influenza activity, the CDC recommends a shortened timeline for subtyping all influenza A specimens from hospitalized patients. This measure will support optimal patient care, infection control, and case investigation. Clinicians and laboratory staff are urged to test for influenza in patients with suspected influenza and to prioritize the rapid subtyping of influenza A-positive specimens, particularly those from patients in intensive care units. Additionally, clinical laboratories should increase efforts to identify non-seasonal influenza strains.
The COVID-19 Healthcare rulemaking, which was first published as an Emergency Temporary Standard on June 21, 2021, has been terminated. The agency will continue to focus efforts to protect healthcare workers through work on a broader Infectious Diseases standard.
This instruction includes a summary of requirements, inspection procedures and citation policy on OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation, 29 CFR 1904 Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting Requirements Part 1904, effective January 13, 2025. Find more information on how to meet these requirements on the Injury and Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements webpage (https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping).
During the November meeting, the workgroup presented responses to the committee for the draft Guidelines for Isolation Precautions and Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel. HICPAC voted and approved the responses.
This updated interim guidance identifies work tasks that may pose an increased risk of worker exposure to novel influenza A viruses associated with disease in humans and provides recommended controls for each level. Specific recommendations for these work tasks may be updated as CDC learns more during this evolving situation.
This month we are celebrating Reenaba Chudasama and her great infection prevention education at Jones & Cabacoy Veterans Care Center (JCVCC), part of the Department of Veterans Services. Reenaba attended the VDH Infection Prevention Educator Roadshow and loved the creative ideas for education that were shared there. She used some of these ideas at her long-term care and skilled nursing facility to get the frontline staff engaged in activities involving infection prevention and control. Here are some of the fun activities they did:
“Did You Clean Your Hands”: Staff used GloGerm to assess the quality of their hand washing skills. Once they successfully removed the GloGerm, they had 30 seconds to fill up a bottle of hand sanitizer and kept however much they were able to fill as a reward.
“Magic of Memes”: Staff created infection prevention memes and posted them on their communication channels.
“Who Let the Bug Out”: Staff dressed up in germ costumes and paraded around the facility, asking staff members and residents how they would handle them.
“Basket-Call” game: Staff were presented with simulated dirty linen, regular trash, and regulated medical waste and had to dispose of it correctly in given time.
“Cause it’s Everyone’s Business”: Each department made a two-to-five-minute video showing how their department contributes to infection prevention. The facility’s maintenance department did one about plumbing and how they help reduce waterborne diseases!
“Golden Pen Award”: Award given for the best infection prevention notes and nursing assessment. The winner got a shout out on the facility’s communication channel.
🌟Awesome job, Reenaba, for all the ways that you’ve inspired your staff to take an active role in infection prevention!
📢Let the VIPTA Cheers for Peers team know if you decide to follow Reenaba’s lead and try out some of these fun infection prevention education activities in your workplace!
Search the VIPTA library of curated infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training resources. The IPC Education & Training Resource Library includes state and national resources related to healthcare-associated infections, antimicrobial resistance and/or IPC. Visit the VIPTA FAQ page to learn more about VIPTA library content.
