As the flu season approaches, it is a good time to review infection control procedures within a healthcare organization - including protocols, isolation and personal protective equipment, according to an article on the Infection Control Today website.

When it comes to treating contagious and easily transmissible diseases healthcare providers are the first line of defense.

Having a clear policy based on national standards is a good start,  but it’s not enough. Healthcare organizations need to make sure they are structured in a way that allows them to have real-time surveillance of disease activity and respond quickly when necessary, the article said.

“Healthcare organizations that are forward-thinking to seasonal flu and pandemic levels must begin to think, do we have a robust infection control program where there is adequate surveillance, detection, and oversight of the implementation of infection control standards and the use of PPE,” said Tener Goodwin Veenema, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, and international expert on disaster preparedness and containment of outbreaks and a professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Read the article.