Could you please describe Lakeland Surgical & Diagnostic Center?
LSDC is a large, two facility, six operating room, five-procedure room, multi-specialty Ambulatory Surgery Center located in Lakeland, Florida. It has been in existence since 1997 and is owned by an 850-bed regional medical center, two large physician group practices, plus some independent physicians. It treated over 19,000 cases last year and is fully accredited by Accreditation Association of Ambulatory Care.
You recently received the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology Healthcare Administrator Award. What spurred you to strive for a zero infection rate at Lakeland?
The LSDC already enjoyed a very low infection rate, but we recognized that there was still room for advancement. Once we started implementing several new changes and improvements, we saw immediate positive results, which encouraged us to do more. Progressively, over time, we created a new, comprehensive revised Infection Control and Prevention Program that is moving us toward the possibility of potentially achieving this targeted zero infection rate in the future. We know that we may never achieve this lofty goal, but it is now considered in the realm of possibility. (Like trying to bowl that perfect 300 game). It is fun to at least try.
What were the challenges to implementing infection prevention and control protocols system-wide?
The biggest change and challenge was a cultural one within the organization. People get set in their ways, and do not like change, even when they know that the change is for the better. We embarked on an intensive staff-training program, at every level within the ASC. We rewarded good behavior and protocol compliance on the spot, in front of everyone (staff, physicians, patients, visitors, vendors, etc.) so everyone knew we were serious about compliance and what our expectations were. Eventually everyone got on board, and now continuous infection control and prevention awareness has become interwoven into the fabric of our culture and daily operations.
Are there any best practices that you’d like to emphasize?
The best practice is consistency and conformity. Once you go through all the effort to restructure your complete Infection Control and Prevention Program, as we have, you can never let things slide back to your previous ways. It is a natural tendency to do so, as it was easier “in the old days” to not be as vigilant as we are today. So, you need to keep up the surveillance, training, testing, inspecting, cleaning, sterilizing, washing, monitoring, follow-up, meetings, documentation, and certifications. It sounds exhausting, but if you make this program an expected “way of life” in your organization, you can do it, and your end result will be worth all the effort.