Pandemic Influenza Plan - Questar III

Section 4: Infection Control
(http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/influenza/guidelines/docs/
2005-2006_influenza_guidelines.pdf ).
• Home care personnel should be considered high risk for influenza and receive
influenza vaccine annually.
• Instruct all healthcare workers to screen/assess clients and their household
contacts for respiratory illness and influenza like illness (ILI) and report
respiratory/flu like symptoms either to the patient’s physician and/or to their
home healthcare supervisor depending on level of skill, training or expertise.
• Any reusable medical equipment should be properly cleaned and disinfected or
sterilized, as the medical device indicates (see CDC Website:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/bp_sterilization_medDevices.html ), before use
with another patient. Close attention to cleaning protocols should be paid to
equipment that comes in contact with respiratory secretions. Oral electronic
thermometers, if used, should be used with plastic sheaths, and the entire surface
should be cleaned after use.
• Any surfaces in the home contaminated with secretions from patient or household
contacts should be thoroughly cleaned by using a household disinfectant and
following the manufacturer’s directions.
C. Infection control practices for home healthcare for a local influenza pandemic
• Follow infection control principles as delineated above.
• Enter every household wearing a surgical mask, until patient and all household
contacts are assessed as free of respiratory illness. Assess the risk of influenza in
the patient or household contacts and utilize respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette.
• Instruct patients and household contacts to avoid unnecessary visits to hospital,
clinics or physicians offices.
• Provide ill patients and household contacts with surgical masks if a visit to
hospital, physician or clinic becomes necessary and to phone ahead to notify the
healthcare provider of respiratory symptoms prior to visit.
• Advise patients and household contacts to avoid public gatherings or unnecessary
visits to other households to avoid or minimize exposure.
• Administer pandemic strain vaccine to home care patients as recommended, if
medically indicated and available (See Section 6 on vaccine prioritization).
• Administer antiviral medication, if medically indicated and available (See Section
7 on antiviral prioritization).
• Minimize staffing changes to the extent possible (assign same staff to same
patients).
• Provide infection control education to community resources and volunteers if
utilized to assist with patient care.
D. Occupational health surveillance for the home healthcare setting
Occupational health for all pandemic periods
• All home health care workers should receive influenza immunization as
recommended by the CDC. Vaccination records/rates should be maintained.
February 7, 2006 4-24