Outbreak Management Education
Educate all employees in outbreak management to ensure awareness of their role if an outbreak occurs. The identification of an outbreak may appear on any day of the week and at any time.
Suggested inclusions for outbreak management education
Defining an outbreak
Signs and symptoms of common outbreak types
Standard and transmission-based precautions
Hand hygiene, including a competency-based assessment
Appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including competency-based assessment
Immediate steps to be followed in the event of an outbreak
The importance of employees and visitors not attending the residential aged care facility if they have any symptoms
Environmental cleaning and laundering
Reprocessing reusable equipment
Specimen collection
Food handling
Practice
Implementing a training program that involves mock outbreak sessions or scenarios assists with identifying gaps in training and education
Training also helps employees understand that they can manage an outbreak, boosting their confidence