An infectious disease specialist's role goes beyond hand-washing to purchasing equipment, protection during construction and preparing for disasters, according to an article on the Hospitals and Health Networks website.
Many health systems are not maximizing the full potential of their infection control and prevention teams.
When there's new construction, it's a smart tactic to involve infectious disease specialists long before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
They can prevent many problems from arising because of construction: They can assess if the planned method of air handling is appropriate and whether the materials and equipment are disinfectable, for example, and they can ensure that construction dust is contained so as not to harm vulnerable patients, the article said.
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