Find out more about our online modules or head over to the DICON Training site to get started.
1. Unlimited Access to DICON on-line Training Course for Insertion of CVCs
Use of short-term and long term vascular catheters is associated with important and serious risks for patients. Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSIs) can cause substantial morbidity and mortality, but many such infections are preventable if meticulous care is used in their insertion and maintenance. Prevention of vascular catheter-associated adverse events has become a cornerstone of patient safety program at most American hospitals. This training course seeks to improve patient safety by providing valuable, updated information on evidence-based practices for correctly and safely inserting central venous catheters (CVCs). In 2008, we updated the on-line training course to include written materials and videos for ultrasound guidance during CVC placement. Ultrasound guidance has become the standard of care for CVC placement. Yet, many physicians who insert CVCs are still unfamiliar with this technique. Several academic medical centers have signed license agreements with us for unlimited use of this training course. Many of these institutions (i.e., Saint Louis University, Indiana University, Duke University, East Carolina University, Stony Brook Medical Center) require all residents take our on-line course as part of their training experience. Since, January 1, 2006, over 7,000 individuals at over 160 institutions have used this course.
2. Unlimited Access to DICON Stopping the Spread Videokit--Six Video Modules on Hand Hygiene and Infection Control
Six four-minute long educational modules on hand hygiene and infection control (Stopping the Spread Videokit) were developed with assistance of a professional production company and professional actors. They are designed to motivate health care workers to change the (unacceptable) status quo on hand hygiene compliance. You can view the trailer for these videos by visiting the DICON training website at http://dicontraining.medicine.duke.edu. As you will note when you view this video trailer, these modules are ideally suited for orientation of new employees regarding hand hygiene and infection control and for annual education updates for existing hospitals employees. These modules are also helpful aides for existing hand hygiene campaigns in many hospitals.
3. Unlimited Access to DICON on-line Training Course for Nurses on Care and Maintenance of CVCs
The course for nurses on care and maintenance of CVCs was released in December 2008. This course is designed to teach healthcare workers how to properly access, maintain, and remove CVCs. This course also includes a section containing important information for nurses and others who are assistants during the insertion of these lines. Nurses and other healthcare workers have an important role in reducing the risk of adverse events due to CVCs and, thus, are strongly encouraged to complete this course. Over 6,000 nurses have completed this course.
4. Unlimited Access to DICON on-line Training Course for Safe Injection Practices
Injections are the most common healthcare procedure in modern medicine. Unfortunately, many injections are performed without regard to established safe injection practices. Such violations of infection control and safe injection practices place patients at substantial risks for bloodborne infections, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). For example, a well publicized outbreak of hepatitis C infections recently occurred in an endoscopy clinic in southern Nevada. Six patients were diagnosed with HCV infection in this outbreak; tens of thousands of other patients were subjected to testing and the anxiety of being exposed to several serious viral infections. The investigators concluded that this outbreak was a direct result of poor injection practices; specifically, healthcare workers inappropriately reused single-use syringes and single-use medication vials [3].
Healthcare workers (HCWs) must be well-trained in safe injection practices to avoid causing patient harm. Simple and effective guidelines currently exist to ensure safe administration of injections. However, the schedules of HCWs are incredibly busy and little attention or time is given to teaching and reinforcing these guidelines. Thus, we believe that there is a clear need to devise a comprehensive infection control training course for HCWs regarding safe injection practices.
The overall aim of this training course is to design a pilot educational program to teach HCWs about safe injection practices. Knowledge and skills obtained in the program will improve the culture of safety in healthcare. This program will also minimize the risk for cross-transmission of these devastating infections and will allow HCWs to confront and correct colleagues when poor injection practices are observed.
5. Prevention of Surgical Site Infection in the Operating Room (for all operating room personnel)
Surgical site infections (SSI) are serious complications of surgical procedures that can lead to devastating patient morbidity, high healthcare costs, and death. Between 2 and 5% of all patients undergoing surgery in the United States will go on to develop an SSI.
Many SSI, but not all, are preventable with sensible practices that help mitigate the numerous factors that could contribute to an individual patient’s risk. Infection prevention practices should become routine part of an operating room staff’s workflow; however, small breaches in practice or contamination events may become overlooked in this busy setting.
Operating room staff members play an essential role in prevention of surgical site infection. This interactive training course will reinforce and teach basic principles and practices of SSI prevention in the operating room. Through creative interface and user input, it also develops their “eye” for breaches in infection prevention practice, while emphasizing the team approach to infection prevention. Additionally, this course will help encourage compliance with basic, guideline-driven infection prevention practices required by US regulatory agencies, such as The Joint Commission.
6. Any new Educational Training Course developed by DICON during the term of the agreement with the hospital acquiring a license from DICON
We plan to develop a new training course every 18-24 months.