Infectious Disease Control Nursing CEU Courses

Vaccine-preventable diseases strike millions of adults annually. While most children and adolescents remain up to date on immunizations, adults often do not recognize the need for routine vaccination. This course addresses various vaccine formulations and indications. It provides resources for healthcare professionals to stay up to date on the yearly updates and recommendations published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It will address how to promote vaccination among patients, how to assess the appropriateness of vaccinations according to individual factors, and how to evaluate contraindications to vaccination.

Members of the healthcare team must be able to recognize symptoms of bacterial meningitis to expedite testing and treatment, and advocate for preventive vaccination among appropriate age groups. With knowledge of preventive measures and awareness of early symptoms, the impact of meningitis can be greatly reduced.

Whether at the surgical site or on the hands of the healthcare provider, human skin is inherently laden with resident and transient flora. This course addresses ways to reduce pathogens on the skin of caregivers and surgical patients to reduce the risk of infections. It provides historical context and explains proper glove use and skin antisepsis, surgical scrubs, and pre-op cleansing. The course also discusses types of antiseptic solutions and considerations for their use.

You probably are aware that malnutrition can increase morbidity and mortality, but did you know that malnutrition can increase readmissions, medical costs, and even falls? Poor nutrition status is associated with increased length of hospital stay, elevated risk of complications, and infections. Unfortunately, it is not always identified, formally diagnosed, or treated. Learn the facts about the causes, definition, and incidence of malnutrition and how an interprofessional team approach can dramatically improve outcomes.

Most people go through life without noticing insects unless they are irritated, bitten, or stung by one of them. Yet insects are the dominant and most successful animal life form on earth. They represent more than half of all known living organisms. This course describes four common biting insects that use human blood as a source of food. It will also include information on the brown recluse spider, a spider that is often blamed for skin lesions across the country, even in areas where none are known to exist (Vetter, 2018).

• Discuss the risk factors, transmission, and management of C. difficile.
• Name four ways the patient-to-patient spread of C. difficile can be prevented.

Sepsis is a complex, multifactorial condition that results in high healthcare costs and significant morbidity and mortality. The definitions of sepsis, septic shock, and organ dysfunction were established in 1991. Over the past 20 years, more research has been conducted on sepsis pathophysiology and management, and several new antibiotics have been approved. A new guideline was released in 2016 that reexamines sepsis and associated definitions and provides updated recommendations for managing patients with sepsis. Interprofessional healthcare teams have been shown to improve patient outcomes and are essential in caring for critically ill patients. It is therefore important for each member of the team to understand sepsis and collaborate to provide the best care. This program will review sepsis guidelines, comment on updates from previous guidelines, and provide information regarding the management of sepsis from different aspects of the healthcare team.

Tick populations are increasing in the United States and their geographic ranges are expanding, largely due to climate change. Since ticks are responsible for nearly 95% of annually reported vector-borne diseases, this increase represents a new and severe public health concern.  In the U.S., ticks are responsible for transmitting a greater variety of viral, bacterial, and protozoan diseases than any other blood-feeding arthropod. In addition, in some people, tick bites can cause allergic reactions to red meat and possibly milk and other dairy products. This CE course presents information on eight of the most common tickborne illnesses.

Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) are a concerning, expensive, and serious hospital-acquired infection problem. Complete this webinar to learn about the incidence and state of SSIs in the US and how interventions to decrease SSIs are affecting outcomes. Are SSI’s preventable or just an unfortunate occurrence in healthcare?