By A.U. Bankaitis
This article is a part of the May/June 2021, Volume 33, Number 3, Audiology Today issue.
Infection control is a standard in audiology practice and new diseases serve as a reminder of its relevance in routine patient care. What makes COVID-19 unique is how quickly and easily it spreads among the general population. This has direct impact on infection control protocols and policies in ways previously not experienced. As audiology prepares for a new normal, here are a few key infection-control lessons learned in the past year.
Appropriate Authorities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the nation’s primary health-protection agency at the forefront of the public health response to COVID-19, offering current, evidence-based mitigation guidance on the pandemic (CDC, 2021a). The agency has the authority to issue certain mandates and it remains important to stay current with recommendations.
The CDC is not a regulatory agency (CDC, 2016a), however. While most federal and state authorities mandate infection-control policy based on CDC recommendations, specific rules and regulations vary as a function of employment setting and the individual state in which the employment setting is located. Staying connected with the appropriate authority is critical.
Larger health-care facilities with dedicated infection-control departments employ designated personnel to implement and manage institutional infection-control policy and serve as an invaluable resource to audiologists employed in such settings. Otherwise, infection-control policy falls within the jurisdiction of state, county, and/or local public health departments that dictate stay-at-home orders, determine which businesses are considered essential, define business re-opening policies, and other safe business control policies (Rand Corporation, 2020).
To contact appropriate state and territorial health authorities within your state, go to the CDC website or the NACCHO website for a list of contacts.
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