D4: IH in Evacuation Isolation Transport Environment for Patients With Special Pathogens

Greater Columbus Convention Center 

Room: A 113 

CM Credit Hours: 1 

There is a scarcity of peer-reviewed literature that covers the field of Industrial Hygiene in the context of Ground and Aeromedical Evacuation Isolation Transport for Patients with Special Pathogens like Ebola or Nipah virus disease. A few standard operating procedures (SOP) are available, but their success and practicality remain uncertain. IH/OH professionals often overlook their significant role in the development of SOPs for these types of events. The IH/OH professionals ensure the safety of the workers, decontaminate and/or dispose of equipment and materials used in the transport, and coordinate with an interprofessional team in the unique and high intensity environment. The lack of shared discussion in this area makes it difficult to prepare for future responses or to recover from a ground transport that unintentionally involves a patient with a special pathogen. This presentation aims to share: a) the practices implemented by IH/OH professionals in these types of transports; b) how to prepare for hazardous transport incidents; and c) procedures to successfully recover from a hazardous transport incident.

Upon completion, the participant will be able to:

• Describe the role of IH professionals in reducing risks in transport environments.
• Discuss the risk of infection acquisition by staff in the transport environments.
• Control infection and reduce potential exposures.
• Summarize options for waste handling, decontamination, etc. in transport environments. 

Intermediate

Q&A

Corporation/Company

Healthcare/Pharma

Services

Transportation

Available as part of AIHA CONNECT OnDemand

Emergency Preparedness & Response

Management/Leadership