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Education, Training and Competencies

Category: Education, Training and Competencies

ePoster Kiosk Presentation

ETC 45 - Don't Gamble with Your Safety

Monday, June 3, 2024
10:16 AM – 10:45 AM CST
Location: Kiosk 6 - APIC Central, Hall 1
Has Audio
Disclosure(s):
Cindy Hou, DO, FACOI, FIDSA, FACP: Abbott: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); ANA CDC Project Firstline: Grant/Research Support (Terminated), My time is a cost share (Terminated); National Council on Aging: Grant ends end of April 2024 (Ongoing), Grant/Research Support (Ongoing); Office of Minority Health: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing), My time is a cost share (Ongoing); Sepsis Alliance: Consultant/Advisory Board (Ongoing), PCORI for Sepsis Alliance, Sepsis Innovation Collaborative (Ongoing)
Mary E. Miller, RN BSN CIC: No financial relationships to disclose
Laura Maguire, MLT BS CIC: No financial relationships to disclose
Ashlee Hiester, RN, BSN, CIC: No financial relationships to disclose
Daniel Jefferson, M.S., M.T. (ASCP): No financial relationships to disclose
Jenny Hayes, MSN, RN, CIC, CAIP: No financial relationships to disclose


Background: Inconsistent practices of donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and gaps in knowledge of infection prevention (IP) principles have been observed since the inception of virtual training. In our study, we hypothesized that providing entertaining and informative in-person training will improve PPE practices and IP knowledge.

Methods: The study was institution review board approved and utilized a pre-experimental design. The infection preventionists (IPs) reached 106 participants from July - August 2023. We distributed pre-tests using a Likert scale on types of PPE, disposal of PPE, types of isolation, and hand hygiene. The IPs educated about hand hygiene and isolation categories. The participants spun a wheel of organisms, reviewed which PPE should be used, then doffed PPE while cross-contamination was assessed. Post-tests were administered to assess knowledge of PPE, infection prevention topics and transmission-based precautions.

Results: At baseline, 57% (61) strongly agree that they always dispose of PPE inside the room, and 5% (5) strongly agree that standard precautions do not require the use of PPE. Further, 59% (63) strongly agree that they perform hand hygiene before donning gloves/PPE. Lastly, 42% (44) strongly agree they can find information for transmission-based precautions versus after attending the session, knowledge was 72% (76). After obtaining education, 72% (76) strongly agree they knew how to better protect themselves from contamination when doffing PPE, and 75% (80) strongly agree that the session enhanced knowledge of when and why to use PPE. Also, 69% (73) strongly agree that their overall understanding of the topics improved.

Conclusions: In this study, participants were engaged with in-person sessions on PPE and IP, and knowledge of these topics improved. Limitations include lack of a control. Nevertheless, education on PPE and IP can be made entertaining and yet enhance knowledge.

Learning Objectives:

  • Develop a Likert scale to assess infection prevention knowledge before and after education is provided.
  • Incorporate engaging in-person activities to teach about personal protective equipment and infection prevention.
  • Create a comprehensive program to reach staff nurses of all knowledge levels.