This program will review the core elements of an effective UV disinfection program including current information on the challenge of preventing HAI, current evidence related to true UV device efficacy, and (3) best practices for efficient UV application and implementation. Key in-facility use sites, the value of a multidisciplinary collaboration, and device utilization metrics will also be discussed.

Nurses and infection preventionists are balancing staff and patient safety, prevention of hospital-acquired infections, and the ever-changing regulatory environment. This program focuses on isolation gowns because they are a critical element of PPE, in that they prevent staff and patient exposure to infectious diseases and improve patient outcomes.

Surgical draping incorporates principles of aseptic technique to optimize patient outcomes. Drapes are designed to provide a physical barrier, optimize exposure of the operative site, cover supplies and equipment, and reduce the risk of surgical site infection.

This educational activity is for the healthcare professional who is involved in the care of patients who are at high risk for arthritis and comorbidities, such as obesity and depression. At-risk individuals include women and those of African American and Hispanic descent. This group demonstrates “health disparities”, which are preventable differences in health status.

Safe patient handling when positioning a patient is not only important for staff safety as it is for patient safety through the appropriate use of equipment and ergonomics. This course will review best practices for safe patient handling, a culture of safety, and proper ergonomics while positioning a patient in the operating room and how to mitigate occupational injury.

This ebook is intended to supplement education and training of vascular vessel mapping protocols for creation of an endovascular arteriovenous fistula (endoAVF) utilizing the approach with dual magnetic catheters and application of radiofrequency energy to create an endoAVF (dual catheter system) anastomosis.

This ebook discusses foreign debris-initiated post-surgical complications and their associated pathological mechanisms. It reviews the sources of debris contamination, including a description of foreign microbody characteristics that can further amplify pathological responses. Strategies to determine the presence of lint in the OR and recommendations for minimizing their presence are highlighted.

This continuing education activity will address the role of environmental contamination in the transmission of HAIs, describe the latest research on environmental hygiene in the operating room (OR), and list the monitoring methods available to objectively evaluate environmental hygiene. Process improvement methods and new technologies such as self-disinfecting surfaces and “no touch” area cleaners utilizing ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and hydrogen peroxide vapor will be described.

The advantages of using an online system for direct access to valuable information about a procedure pack program will be discussed. The five key functions of an online pack management system will be outlined. Best practices for standardization of procedural supplies across an integrated delivery network or individual hospital will be described.

In the current era of antibiotic stewardship, with the prevalence of bacterial resistance to multiple antibiotic agents, there has been an interest in using perioperative antiseptics to reduce microbial contamination in the surgical site before closure and possibly reduce the need for antibiotic agents. This program is intended to better understand the proper implications of the different types of wound irrigations in relation to SSIs, cost, and efficiency.

This program summarizes the risks associated with handling needles and sharps in the healthcare environment and describes how implementation of a comprehensive sharps safety program can mitigate these risks.

There are several therapeutic modalities available today that either use the body’s natural thermoregulatory mechanisms to relieve pain, encourage healing, or enhance the body’s ability to maintain a normal core temperature. Therefore, nurses and other health- care professionals must remain aware of the use of localized temperature therapy as an effective treatment modality.

As healthcare systems continue to combat COVID-19, and the ongoing risk posed by Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs), ultraviolet (UV) room disinfection can be a valuable tool for enhanced environmental hygiene and surface disinfection. This program reviews the basics of how UV room disinfection devices inactivate microorganisms, the germicidal UV dose delivery required to achieve broad spectrum efficacy and the basics for evaluating and decoding UV device manufacturers’ claims and support, which can vary greatly.

This ebook is intended to supplement education and training of vascular vessel mapping protocols for creation of an endovascular arteriovenous fistula (endoAVF) utilizing the approach with dual magnetic catheters and application of radiofrequency energy to create an endoAVF (dual catheter system) anastomosis.

This education activity will describe the criteria defined by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for classifying a drug as hazardous and the types of health risks that healthcare works could experience relate to exposure. How and when an exposure to hazardous drugs can occur and the nursing implications for reducing exposures to hazardous drugs will also be discussed.

The operating room has traditionally been one of the highest revenue generators for healthcare organizations. This continuing education activity will provide the perioperative nurse with information on ways to improve inventory management in the operating room. It will review the challenges and opportunities associated with effective supply management, and provide specific strategies on product standardization, inventory management and reduction, reduction of waste, data analysis, and improved physician preference card management.

The purpose of this continuing education activity is to provide a review of the clinical considerations regarding the appropriate selection and use of facial protection devices in healthcare practice settings. It provides an overview of the health hazards inherent to the general healthcare and perioperative environment, criteria for appropriate selection and use of facial protection devices, and relevant regulations and recommendations for manufacture and use.

In dynamic healthcare facilities, high-touch shared equipment, including keyboards, Workstations on Wheels (WOWs), mobile tablets and smartphones, are contaminated and potential vectors for microbial transmission between users. Given the fast, daily pace in any healthcare environment, it can be challenging to effectively clean and disinfect these objects between uses by multiple team members – and do so without damaging the surfaces.

This program is designed to increase knowledge of the basics of skin health and its impact for people with incontinence. The activity will provide practical knowledge for clinicians on the care of fragile skin as well as including factors that influence skin health, how to maintain a balanced microbiome, what happens when the microbiome becomes unbalanced, and how to treat conditions related to declines in skin health.

This program explains why the accurate detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) is so important. Symptoms of and risk factors for AF are outlined, and methods of detecting it are described, including short-term (up to 30 days) and long-term (up to 4.5 years) cardiac monitoring.