A look at a day in the life of a hospital Infection Preventionist (IP). As IPs' roles expand, their hectic day includes making rounds on the hospital floor, enforcing procedures, educating staff, providing proactive counsel...and sometimes spending 5+ hours/day collecting and reporting data to federal health agencies. .

1. “Patient had surgery at
your hospital and now has
an infection.”
Inpatient Unit
Check and respond to voicemail
and e-mails.
Investigate laboratory
reports for HAIs
Check and respond to voicemail
and e-mails.
Meet with physicians in the ICU for patient
assessments.
Review and run HAI report
from Q-Centrix and send to
hospital unit
Check and respond to voicemail
and e-mail.
Make arrangements to visit
contracted cleaning facility.
Begin rounds to proactively prevent infection in
the Inpatient Unit. The unit is currently treating a
patient for C.Diff.
Lab results indicated some inconsistencies. Visit
and test instruments. Educate the team on
Infection prevention.
Test instruments and linens. Request new
linens. Educate the team on infection
prevention.
Educate patient’s family
on the dangers of C.Diff
contamination.
Grab lunch with the
clinical team.
Investigate infection at nearby hospital.
Present Infection Prevention onboarding
information to new employees.
Investigate previous day’s
mortalities.
Meet with the Product Advisory Committee.
Recommend products and equipment that will
reduce the potential of infection.
Sort positive cultures for “mandatory
reportables”
Continue investigating
laboratory reports for HAIs
Sort lab results by
infection and unit and
send reports.
Collect equipment specimens. Discuss findings
and recommendations in the operating room.
Grab lunch, finish paperwork and complete patient
log for reported infection at nearby hospital.
Send Infection Prevention onboarding presentation
to colleague to present to new hires.
Collection of specimens on equipment
and discussion of findings.
Sort positive cultures for “mandatory reportables”
from the state health department and report
findings electronically via the online portal.
Complete the “mandatory reportables” form the
state health department and report findings
electronically via the online portal.
8:00 AM
8:15 AM
8:30 AM
10:00 AM
10:15 AM
10:30 AM
11:00AM
11:15 AM
11:30 AM
12:00 PM
12:30 PM
12:40 PM
1:30 PM
1:40 PM
2:00 PM
2:30 PM
3:15 PM
3:00 PM
3:45 PM
4:30 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
Listen,
Sandy, I just don’t have time to present
today. I’m sending the presentation over,
can you do it for me?
Interesting. So, you’ve noticed
a decrease in infections based on
the disposables? I knew it.
Welcome to the most
dangerous job you'll
ever have!
“We’ve had a number of patients complain
about internal burns. We’re wondering if
something may be wrong with our
equipment. Can you come down and check?”
I have
to disagree. We need that
product. It reduces the potential
for infection by 90%!
Without Q-Centrix With
of Infection Preventionists
www.q-centrix.com
I know
you’re treating a patient
that has C.Diff. Do you have any
questions for me?
This day
got away from me! I didn’t even
review the mortalities. I’ll have to do
that first thing tomorrow.
I accomplished so
much today!
Intensive Care
OBGYN
Operating Room
Operating Room
Endoscopy Unit
“We have a patient down
here with C.Diff and his family is
struggling with the isolation. They
refused to wear protective gear. Do you
mind coming down here to talk with
them?”
“The environmental services did not clean
this operating room correctly. Can you
come down here and do a quick check?”
Inpatient Unit