EMS PRO FEATURE
Infectious Disease Precautions Medics Must Remember
By Jim Love
Remember anthrax, bird flu, swine flu, H1N1, SARS and the threat of pandemics? Ever think about Ebola or necrotis- ing fascitis (the so-called flesh eating disease)? Perhaps you are a part of the planning for your agency — perhaps even for county, state or even national level responses. This planning is critical to be sure – critical to containing the spread of, and if possible, to offer protection against, disease. This planning is also essential to ensuring necessary biological suits are ordered and special receiving facilities are identified and estab- lished.
We live in a globetrotting world that allows disease to spread at the speed of air travel. A contagious person could board a plane overseas and depart to any country, in any continent. The risk potential is of global significance. People need to think about and plan for such outbreaks.
Remember AIDS, HIV, hepatitis A, B, and C? How about TB, pneumo- nia, MRSA and the com- mon cold? These diseases are still out there, of course. Is protecting yourself or your crews a major priority? Are peo- ple within your agency planning for these com-
mon diseases? Are you afraid of catching some disease and taking it home, potentially posing a risk to loved ones?
It’s important to re- member and plan for all sources of possible infection. Patients infect- ing EMS caregivers and vice versa is a very real concern.
Hand washing is often promoted as the single
most effective activity to decrease the risk of cross-infection. From the list above, it is obvious there are many more steps you can take to reduce the risk.
Don’t allow yourself or your agency to get so focused on sensational media threats that you fail to pay heed and take caution against the risks that are right in front of you. u
Here are some of the activities that should be reviewed to help prevent the spread of disease:
1. Does your agency have an exposure control plan? When was it last updated?
2. Are you provided with annual training?
3. Have you evaluated and selected appropriate “pro- tected sharps”? Is this current? Are there any new products that offer better protection and safe- guards?
4. Do you (or your employees) have properly fi tted face masks? Will you recognize those patients who pose a potential risk and mask up when necessary?
5. What patients do you glove up for? What patients don’t you glove up for? Are gloves readily available?
14 EMS PRO Magazine
7. Have you completed the hepatitis B vaccination series? This must be offered at no charge to all covered employees (U.S. reference). The complete series is three shots and should be followed by a titre test.
8. Are you offered annual fl u shots? 9. Are you offered the hepatitis A vaccine?
10. Do you wash your hands after every patient drop off?
6. When you perform invasive procedures such as in- tubation, do you wear full-face protection, including eye protection? Is eye protection easily available?
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