Course 2: Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement
Welcome to Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI).
It is critical for Infection Preventionists to have the knowledge and skills necessary for undertaking the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) process to develop and continuously refine a nursing home’s Infection Control and Prevention Program. This Course will take a comprehensive and applied look at what that entails.
Training the Next Generation of Wisconsin Nursing Home Infection Preventionists complements the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) foundational training to enhance the Infection Preventionist's (IP) knowledge, competence, and confidence. This course builds on the CDC's Module 3 - Integrating Infection Prevention and Control into the Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Program.
Infection has been a long-standing problem in Wisconsin nursing homes and nationally. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requires each nursing home to have one or more IP with specialized training in infection prevention and control (IPC).
The CDC developed the Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Training Course in 2019 for IPs to develop and implement IPC programs. In 2020 the American Nurses Association and the CDC partnered to provide Project Firstline, a free online series and tools for IPC programs. Even with these resources, there continues to be a desperate need for IP training. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated an even larger spotlight for addressing this need.
In this course we take a more comprehensive and applied look at the knowledge and skills necessary for undertaking the QAPI process to develop and continuously refine a nursing home’s IPC Program.
PREREQUISITE
We expect learners to complete the CDC's Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Training Course before beginning this course.
If you have not completed the CDC's training, please stop this course now and complete it before beginning.
TARGET AUDIENCE
This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and other healthcare professionals serving as Infection Preventionists (IPs) in nursing home settings.
GLOBAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES
As a result of participation in this course members of the healthcare team will be able to:
- Utilize an interdisciplinary approach in the development of a nursing home Infection Prevention and Control Program which includes accessing external resources such as those provided by local, state and national public health systems
- Perform a variety of infection-related risk assessments, interpret risk assessment results and develop a plan to respond to identified risks
- Develop an infection tracking system, interpret and report data generated from this surveillance system, and use the results to demonstrate achievement of identified goals or strategize for improving outcomes
- Employ approaches for controlling the spread of pathogens in outbreak and non-outbreak situations
COURSE 2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
As a result of participation in this course members of the healthcare team will be able to:
- Explain the purpose of the Quality Assessment/Assurance Committee (QA) and Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Program’s role in improving facility-wide care processes
- Describe how the QAPI framework is complementary to the Infection Control and Prevention Program
- Demonstrate how to use QAPI tools, like Root Cause Analysis (RCA), to diagnose problems with care processes
- Discuss the role of the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) and Process Improvement Project (PIP) tools in implementing and evaluating performance improvement interventions
CONTENT DEVELOPER
Diane Dohm, BS (Business), MT, IP, CIC, CPHQDiane Dohm is a Nursing Home Project Specialist with MetaStar, which is a member of Superior Health Quality Alliance, our state Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). Diane’s main role is assisting Wisconsin Long Term Care (LTC) facilities with preparations to meet current regulations, enrollment in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), reduction of C difficile infection, and Antibiotic Stewardship. Currently her focus is on the facility Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Report or ICAR. Diane is a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, and has been board-certified in Infection Prevention and Control since 2008. Diane is also a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality. Diane is very active in the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology (APIC), and has received the National APIC Chapter Leadership Award in 2011 & 2016. Diane also chairs the Certification review session occurring each year at APIC’s state conference. Diane is also a member of the WI HAI in LTC Coalition and the HAI Advisory Committee. |
CONTENT REVIEWER
Christopher J. Crnich, MD, PhD
PLANNING COMMITTEE
Christopher J. Crnich, MD, PhD, Course Director | Deb Burdsall, PhD, RN-BC, IP, CIC, FAPIC | Diane Dohm, BS, MT, IP, CIC, CPHQ |
Ashlie Dowdell | Anna Eslinger, RN, WCC, IP | Tola Ewers, MS, PhD, Coordinator |
Victoria Griffin, BSN, RN, IP, SMQ, ESRD | Linda McKinley, RN, BSN, MPH, CIC, FAPIC | Marilyn Michels, RN, MSN, CRRN, CIC, FAPIC |
POLICY ON DISCLOSURE
It is the policy of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) to identify, mitigate and disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies* held by the speakers/presenters, authors, planners, and other persons who may influence content of this accredited continuing education (CE). In addition, speakers, presenters and authors must disclose any planned discussion of unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices during their presentation.
For this accredited continuing education activity all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated and detailed disclosures are listed below.
*Ineligible companies are those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on, patients.
The ACCME does not consider providers of clinical services directly to patients to be ineligible companies.
The University of Wisconsin provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX requirements. The University of Wisconsin fully complies with the legal requirements of the ADA and the rules and regulations thereof. If any participant in this educational activity is in need of accommodations, please contact info@icep.wisc.edu.
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Interprofessional Continuing Education Partnership (ICEP) is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. |
Credit Designation Statements
American Medical Association (AMA)
The University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP designates this Internet Enduring Material activity for a maximum of 2.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
The University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP designates this Internet Enduring Material for a maximum of 2.0 ANCC contact hours.
Continuing Education Units
The University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP, as a member of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), authorizes this program for .20 continuing education units (CEUs) or 2.0 hours.
Available Credit
- 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- 2.00 ANCC Contact Hours
- 2.00 University of Wisconsin–Madison Continuing Education Hours
- 2.00 Approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
Accessibility
The University of Wisconsin provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX requirements. The University of Wisconsin fully complies with the legal requirements of the ADA and the rules and regulations thereof. If any participant in this educational activity is in need of accommodations, please notify us at help@icep.wisc.edu.
Registration for this activity can only be completed through the ICEP Learning Portal. Attendee registrations made through any other sites cannot be honored. UW-Madison ICEP is not able to refund fees paid through unaffiliated registration sites, such as eMedEvents.com, MedConfWorld.com, EventEgg.com, and 10times.com. Please report any unauthorized websites or solicitations for registrations to info@icep.wisc.edu.
Required Hardware/software
Free, current version of Chrome (preferred), Firefox, Safari, Edge and Adobe Acrobat Reader or other .pdf reader. Some older browsers and Internet Explorer could produce error messages or not display the content correctly.