What staff education topics should I provide to hospital employees to improve pandemic preparedness?
It is vital that health care staff understand the basics of infection transmission and strategies to prevent transmission. Many have poor compliance with infection control practices, which can contribute to disease spreading during a disaster. Staff should be trained on proper hand-hygiene techniques; donning, use and doffing of personal protective equipment; and isolation and surveillance procedures. Isolation will prevent disease from spreading. Proper removal of personal protective equipment is vital to prevent cross-contamination and disease from spreading to health care workers. Hand-hygiene compliance is one of the most important infection prevention strategies and should be stressed during routine practice and disasters. Staff should be educated on how infection prevention and control strategies may change during a disaster. One example is the reuse of respiratory protective equipment. During routine care, respiratory protection such as masks and respirators are considered one-t
