INFECTION CONTROL
We are responsible for various duties concerning infection control at East Carolina University including the following:
- Responsible for clinical Infection Control activities at the Health Sciences Center Clinics;
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Advising other ECU clinical operations regarding appropriate Infection Control practices such as sterilization, disinfection, and cleaning;
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Receiving reports of infections diagnosed at ECU and reports to Health Departments;
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Training ECU employees on Blood Borne Pathogens and Tuberculosis as indicated for OSHA compliance at new employee orientation and annually;
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Epidemiologic investigation of infectious incidents in Health Sciences Center clinics or assists other ECU clinics in investigations.
Airborne Specific Infections
Bioterrorism
Bloodborne Pathogen Policies and Procedures
Bloodborne Pathogen Training for ECU Employees, Non-ECU Employees, and Students:
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ECU Employees ONLY: Bloodborne Pathogen and Tuberculosis Refresher Course Training and test, CLICK HERE.
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NON-ECU Employees ONLY: Blood Borne Pathogen and TB Training, CLICK HERE. Upon completion of BBP and TB Training, CLICK HERE, to take quiz and submit the test results to your supervisor.
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Students ONLY: Blood Borne Pathogen and TB Training, CLICK HERE. Upon completion of BBP and TB Training, CLICK HERE, to take quiz and submit the test results to your advisor.
Construction in Healthcare Facilities
General Infection Control Policies
Departmental Policies
2009 H1N1 (Swine Flu)
Infection Control Forms:
Infection Control Links
MRSA
Training and Education:
We offer training information and resources for infection control which can be found in the Infection Control section of our training and education webpage.
Travel:
Blog
October is a busy month for infection control. We have started administering seasonal flu vaccines to students and staff and have had a great turn-out thus far. There are signs everywhere reminding persons with a cough to please wear a mask, explaining the correct way to cover your cough and to wash your hands frequently.
I heard a comical, but true, story from Mike Hanley, Assistant Director of Athletics, when I visited the Ward Sports Medicine Building to do an annual clinical inspection. At a team meal not long ago, where the players traditionally hold hands to say grace prior to eating, a young man came in hurriedly after the prayer in a minor panicked state. When asked what was wrong he exclaimed he had to wash his hands because he had held another player’s hand and he knew that player had been coughing before. So the message is out there and there are people following the suggestions to decrease risks of spreading infection.
October is also the State Fair month (10/15 – 10/25) and I read an interesting article in the paper not long ago discouraging fair-goers from attending the fair if they had any flu like symptoms. The article also stated that the Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services was still encouraging good hand washing habits when visiting the livestock area, but now they want people to wash BEFORE having any contact with the animals as well as afterwards! Reason? To prevent the spread of H1N1, or Swine flu, to the animals, especially the pigs!
And last but not least, October 18-24 is International Infection Prevention Week. I’d like to think that this is not just a week-long event, but rather a life-long one, especially after all of the hard work we have done to educate our staff, students and neighboring public. I can only hope that as flu season winds down, that the good habits we have worked so hard to instill into everyone will continue…..forever.
Stay well,
Patti Goetz, RN
PS - Do not hesitate to give us a call at 744-2070 for any infection control questions or concerns you may have.
Patti Goetz, RN
Infection Control Practitioner
744-2070
