Celebrate IIPW with this day-by-day guide meant to inspire you and give you all the resources you need to educate and motivate your teams across a variety of settings.
Monday – “Moving the Needle…on the Profession’s Development”
Theme
Career Advancement and professional development
Message for IPs
Use the new tools from APIC to advance your career and grow your department
Wordle
Play the IIPW Wordle for Monday
Activity for Healthcare Workers
Build-A-Bug Activity and Editable Templates
Use the resources listed below with your teams
Resources
Highlight DOL recognition and what it means for IPs
IP Career Development & Advancement Guide
Health Equity Prompt
Monday: Career Advancement and Professional Development and Health Equity
Theme: Empowering Professionals for Health Equity
Prompt: “How can we ensure that career advancement and professional development opportunities in infection prevention are accessible to all healthcare workers, regardless of one’s educational background?” We’re all IPs!
Message: “Today, let’s focus on fostering inclusive career advancement and professional development opportunities in infection prevention. By focusing on equitable education, training, and mentorship, we can empower a diverse workforce to lead the charge in promoting health equity.”
Tuesday – “Moving the Needle……on Healthcare Worker Safety”
Theme
Occupational Health/Sharps Safety
Message for IPs
Use the new resources listed below with your teams
Wordle
Play the IIPW Wordle for Tuesday
Activity for Healthcare Workers
Build-A-Bug Activity and Editable Templates
Use the resources listed below with your teams
Resources
5 Second Rule Show Podcast Episode #57: “IP Strategic Partnership: Diving into Occupational Health with Allison Zelikoff“
Health Equity Prompt
Tuesday: Occupational Health and Sharps Safety and Health Equity
Theme: Protecting All Workers Equally
Prompt: “In what ways can we enhance occupational health and sharps safety protocols to ensure they are equitable and protect all healthcare workers, especially those in under resourced areas?”
Message: “Occupational health and sharps safety are vital for all healthcare workers. Let’s work together to create equitable safety protocols that protect everyone, regardless of their work environment. By prioritizing health equity, we ensure a safer workplace for all.”
Wednesday – “Moving the Needle…on Patient Safety”
Theme
Resources for Care of the Patient
Message for IPs
Use the new resources listed below with your teams
Wordle
Play the IIPW Wordle for Wednesday
Activity for Healthcare Workers
Build-A-Bug Activity and Editable Templates
Use the resources listed below with your teams
Resources
Fundamentals of IPC infographic
Vaccines are Everybody’s Business
Health Equity Prompt
Wednesday: Resources for Patient Care and Health Equity
Theme: Equitable Access to Infection Prevention Resources
Prompt: “How can we ensure that infection prevention resources are distributed equitably in all healthcare settings, so all patients receive the highest standard of care regardless of their socioeconomic status?”
Message: “Access to infection prevention resources is crucial for delivering high-quality patient care. Today, let’s focus on strategies to promote infection prevention through a health equitable lens and distribute these resources equitably, ensuring that every patient gets that VIP patient care.”
Thursday – “Moving the Needle… on Public Health Preparedness”
Theme
Public Health Preparedness
Message for IPs
IFUs: Give us your IFU horror story
Wordle
Play the IIPW Wordle for Thursday
Activity for Healthcare Workers
Build-A-Bug Activity and Editable Templates
Use the resources listed below with your teams
Resources
APIC work to help solve problems with IFUs
Health Equity Prompt
Thursday: Public Health Preparedness and Health Equity
Theme: Inclusive Public Health Preparedness
Prompt: “What steps can we take to ensure that our public health preparedness plans address the unique needs of diverse communities and promote health equity?”
Message: “Public health preparedness must be inclusive and equitable. Let’s commit to developing plans that address the unique needs of diverse communities, ensuring that everyone is protected and supported during public health emergencies.”
Friday – “Moving the Needle…across the Continuum of Care”
Theme
Infection Prevention across the continuum of care
Message for IPs
Promote the new Veterinary Medicine IPC Council
Share the new resources with your patients and teams at alternate care sites
Wordle
Play the IIPW Wordle for Friday
Activity for Healthcare Workers
Build-A-Bug Activity and Editable Templates
Use the resources listed below with your teams
Resources
Resources coming soon for IIPW 2024
Health Equity Prompt
Friday: Infection Prevention Across the Care Continuum and Health Equity
Theme: Consistent Care and Equity Across Settings
Prompt: “How can we implement infection prevention practices consistently across the care continuum to ensure health equity for all patients?”
Message: “Infection prevention should be consistent and equitable across all healthcare settings, including tribal, critical access hospitals, and long-term care settings to name a few. Let’s strive to implement best practices universally, ensuring that every patient receives the same high standard of infection prevention, regardless of where they receive care.”
More Ideas
Activities for Healthcare Professionals and Facilities
Here are ideas for events or activities to highlight the importance of infection prevention in your healthcare facility.
- Use IIPW logos and other sample materials to create signs, posters, banners, screensavers, and announcements for your facility.
- Print out the Infection Prevention and You infographics, brochures, flyers, and posters to educate patients about preventing infection.
- Draft a letter to your healthcare administration that includes details on IIPW and how IPs are essential to infection prevention and patient safety (above)
- Insert IIPW announcements in employee newsletters (above)
- Share APIC’s “Who Are IPs” factsheet and infographic
- Add an IIPW message to your email signature line
- Use fluorescent hand lotion to educate employees about hand hygiene
- Order IIPW branded merchandise for booths, displays, or prizes.
- Create IIPW tray liners for cafeteria food trays
- Take a “what’s wrong?” approach. Use photos or posters for staff to identify infection prevention mistakes
- Show infection prevention videos during staff meetings
- Offer employee flu shots during IIPW
- Promote safety nurses during IIPW – Have them staff booths/events, give flu shots; display their photos, feature their bios in the employee newsletter
Activities for Community Engagement:
Here are ideas for events or activities to help raise awareness about the importance of infection prevention in your community.
- With your local APIC chapter, reach out to your local health department, hospitals, and schools to organize a joint campaign to promote infection prevention to the public.
- Pass out hand sanitizers and literature about infection prevention to community members at bus/metro stops, grocery stores, or any other busy public areas.
- Organize a handwashing and “cover your cough” demonstration for students at local schools.
- Plan a flu vaccine clinic for the public and pass out literature on why infection prevention is important.
- Like and follow the APIC Facebook , the platform formerly known as Twitter/Twitter, and Instagram pages, and drive your followers there to engage them in conversations about the importance of our IPs and infection prevention.
- Use the Advocacy Toolkit to help guide your outreach and plan a visit to your state legislature.
- Contact your legislators to advocate on behalf of infection prevention through the APIC legislation page.