USF’s College of Public Health (COPH) is set to expand tremendously this year. They will add an Infection Control Resource Center, funded by the CDC. The center will be built on campus and directed by Dr. Christine McGuire-Wolfe of USF. Other faculty will include the COPH’s Drs. Anna Torrens Armstrong, Ann Joyce, and Kelli Barr as well as Candace Burns from the College of Nursing and the Sunshine Education and Research Center (Sunshine ERC).
Dr McGuire-Wolfe explained, “The overall purpose of the project is to develop a multi-modal approach to deliver infection prevention and control (IPC) education to emergency responders. The center will serve as a hub for recruitment, dissemination, referral and subject matter consultation.”
The college will partner with CDC over the next five years to create and operate the center. The college will receive nearly $500,000 this year. However, there will be potential for substantial additional funding in each of the next four years.
USF receives CDC funding for infection training
This funding will support a multi-disciplinary project team to conduct program planning and evaluation. The administrative team will consult with field and administrative representatives from emergency medical services (EMS) and the fire service in order to determine the best educational methods for training EMS and first responders in infection control and prevention. Also included in the funding are roles for two doctoral and two MPH students. There is also funding for a trainee from the Sunshine ERC. This position will assist with administrative duties, literature and policy reviews, lab tasks and other roles.
“This cooperative agreement with the CDC provides an amazing opportunity for the COPH to emerge as a leader in the development of IPC procedures in the emergency response arena,” said McGuire-Wolfe. She herself is a firefighter/medic and former infection control officer. “Historically, emergency responders have not been included in infection control efforts for traditional health care workers. I have often observed the challenges inherent in applying hospital-based recommendations or IPC practices in the prehospital setting. For example, on the side of the road or in a moving ambulance, under poor lighting, and working in a small, confined space with less-than-optimal ventilation and no running water.”
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McGuire-Wolfe noted that patients and bystanders in these settings can be unpredictable. Also, the safety of the scene can change rapidly. EMS and fire personnel must make rapid decisions regarding patient care with limited information. “Balancing all of these demands while implementing IPC principles is a unique challenge that requires (and deserves) specific education and information for emergency responders,” she said.
McGuire-Wolfe said the time is right to develop a center devoted to studying infection control practices for emergency responders. Especially with rising incidences of infections, specifically in underserved populations.
“Addressing gaps in knowledge, attitudes and practices for IPC in the prehospital setting will positively impact patient outcomes and decrease or mitigate the likelihood of exposure to infectious diseases for EMS and fire personnel,” McGuire-Wolfe said. “In addition, the center will create visibility for and an expectation of IPC education, resources and policies specific to emergency responders.”
