June 2019 LTCF Newsletter
June 2019 Newsletter – Print version [PDF – 1 MB]
Register Now! The 2019 NHSN LTCF Component Annual Training
Join us July 9-11, 2019 for the 2019 National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSN) Annual Training for Long-term Care Facilities (LTCF). The training will be held on the CDC campus in Atlanta, Georgia and will cover various topics such as antibiotic stewardship, data analysis, and surveillance for urinary tract infections, C. difficile, and multi-drug resistant organisms. The training is open to current NHSN LTCF users, as well as facilities interested in enrolling in NHSN. We are excited to have the NHSN user support team join us during the week to assist users with onsite enrollment, updating CCNs, adding and deactivating users, and other application questions and hands-on troubleshooting.
While there is no registration fee, participants will be responsible for all travel expenses to include transportation, lodging, and the cost of food and beverages. Capacity for the training is limited to 200 participants, and invitations to attend in-person will be issued on a first-come, first-serve basis. Therefore, we encourage you to register for the annual training as soon as possible.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available.
Register to attend the 2019 NHSN Long-term Care Facility Component Training in Atlanta, GA, taking place at the CDC*.
Check out the agenda [PDF – 600 KB].
*For those unable to attend in-person, all presentations during the three-day training will be available via live web-stream. Registration is NOT required for those participating via web-streaming. Please email NHSNtrain@cdc.gov, adding “LTC Annual Training” in the subject header with any training-related questions.
Facilitated NHSN Enrollment – New For 2019
We kicked-off our first annual facilitated enrollment series on June 3rd. The NHSN enrollment series includes a series of four 60-120 minute interactive webinar sessions in which the NHSN LTC team guides participants through the 5-Step Enrollment for Long-term Care Facilities.
Participants have the opportunity to join us during the annual training during the week of July 9th to complete onsite SAMS identify verification, notarization of enrollment documents, and issuance of the SAMS grid card.
Webinar 1: Registering with NHSN
Monday, June 3, 2019 – 2:00 PM, EST
Webinar 2: Registering with SAMS
Tuesday, June 18, 2019 – 2:00 PM, EST
Webinar 3: Prepare for Identity Verification
Monday, June 24, 2019 – 2:00 PM, EST
Webinar 4: Complete NHSN Enrollment & Facility Set-up
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 – 2:00 PM, EST
**While webinar participation is not a pre-requisite for the onsite SAMS identity verification process, participants must complete Steps 1 through 3a of NHSN enrollment and present the required documents prior to grid card issuance. Training attendees who do not complete Steps 1 through 3a and present required documents to the SAMS team during the training will not receive a SAMS grid card while onsite.
LTCF Annual Training Hands-on Lab Sessions
This year we will be offering two hands-on, computer lab sessions (Tuesday and Wednesday, July 9 & 10), that will require additional registration.
- 4:00 – 5:00*
Session A: Understanding the Analytic Functions in NHSN
Elisabeth Mungai, MS, MPH, Public Health Analyst, CDC - 4:00 – 5:00*
Session B: LTC Dashboard 101
Josephine Mak, MPH Data Analyst, CDC
*Session A & B are concurrent courses and have a maximum capacity due to the number of computers available in the computer lab.
It is important to note:
- You may only attend each hands-on session once. Example 1: If you register for Session B, on Tuesday, you may register for Session A, on Wednesday. OR Example 2: You cannot register for Session A on Tuesday AND Wednesday.
- Space is limited. Therefore, we will notify you via email, if you have been selected to attend one or both hands-on, lab sessions.
- PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN LAPTOP. Only one session, each day, will be located in an actual computer lab with CDC computers for usage.
- Lab session A & B WILL NOT be web-streamed or recorded
Update! NHSN LTCF Interactive Infection Dashboard
The NHSN LTCF team is excited about the future release of an interactive dashboard that allows users to quickly view submitted data upon NHSN login. The dashboard enables users to manipulate graphs and tables and review infection prevention process measure data during specific reporting time periods. These graphs and tables are printable and ready to share during your infection prevention and control committee meetings.
Prior to releasing the dashboard, we conducted a beta-testing period to test functionality to better understand how users interact with the dashboard and to determine if they perceived the tool to be helpful and user-friendly. This information enables our team to make necessary adjustments prior to releasing the dashboard to all NHSN users.
We recruited over 30 beta-testers from various backgrounds. The dashboard beta testing period occurred from April 27th – May 13th, and included participation in a focus group call on May 23 & May 29. The feedback we received was invaluable to our process. Thank you!
Education & Training Needs Assessment
The purpose of the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Training Needs Assessment survey is to gauge Long-term Care Facility Component users’ current knowledge and use of available training and education resources. The results of the 15 minute survey will help the NHSN team determine whether the currently available education and training materials are meeting user’s needs as well as to inform future training materials and activities.
In addition, the needs assessment survey results will provide information on current NHSN users’ attitudes and perceptions of the accessibility and utility of the training and education resources and help identify the modules or topics where additional training resources are needed. This survey is voluntary and will be sent out in July via Survey Monkey.
We look forward to your participation!
We’d Love to Hear From You…
- Is your organization struggling with promoting the benefits of the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and surveillance reporting?
- Does your infection prevention staff need training and technical assistance on the NHSN Long-term Care Facility Protocols?
- Are there any topics you would like for us to host a webinar on?
- Do you know how to view, print, interpret, and discuss your NHSN data reports?
- Do you have ideas for data reports you’d like to see available in NHSN?
- Has your LTC facility been successful in reporting data to NHSN?
- How have you used NHSN in your prevention efforts?
- How can we help you to put your data into action?
We can do more together! Help us create opportunities for learning and exchanging Best Practices. Submit your requests and comments to nhsn@cdc.gov and include “LTCF Technical assistance” in the subject line of the email.
