ETC 07 - Veterinary Occupational Health and Infection Control Assessment Program (VOHICA)

Background: Veterinary personnel are fundamental partners in the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases. The Veterinary Occupational Health and Infection Control Assessment (VOHICA) program assists veterinary facilities in creating comprehensive and tailored infection control (IC) and occupational health and safety (OHS) programs and trains designated veterinary technicians as veterinary infection preventionists (VIPs). We describe pre- and post-assessments of veterinary facilities enrolled in VOHICA.

Methods: Veterinary facilities were enrolled based on location, facility type, existing IC policies, and administration willingness. Initial site visits reviewed IC concepts and evaluated 17 IC and 14 OHS best practices. Monthly VIP conference calls tracked progress and provided IC/OHS training. A post-assessment was completed at the end of the program. Average pre- and post-assessment scores were compared using paired t-tests.

Results: In August 2019, 10 facilities were enrolled. Ten site visits, 2 VIP conference calls and 10 initial site summaries were completed before the program was paused due to the pandemic. Upon resumption in August 2021, 6 of 10 facilities continued and completed the post assessment. All facilities showed improvement from initial to final IC and OHS assessments. Best practice average scores were significantly higher in posttest assessment for 8 of 17 IC measures (hand hygiene [p=0.01], breakroom [p=0.001], treatment/procedure area [p=0.003], surgery area [p=0.03], patient housing area [p=0.04], laundry area [p < 0.001], environmental cleaning and disinfection (C&D) [p=0.01], medical device C&D [p=0.01]) and for 2 of 14 OHS measures (waste removal [p=0.05], and emergency planning [p=0.01]).

Conclusions: VOHICA provided enrolled facilities with resources and assistance needed to improve IC and OHS programs. All facilities showed significant improvement in critical areas. As veterinary medicine continues to reflect the human healthcare model, progression in veterinary IC and OHS must evolve from reactionary to proactive, relying on evidence to support recommended changes.