Mrs. Leanne Coulson1
1SA Ambulance Service, Eastwood, Australia
Biography:
Leanne is a registered nurse with 40 years experience in a range of settings and more than 15 years working in Infection Prevention and Control. She has a Master of Nursing Science – Infection Control and is currently undertaking a Master of Public Health at James Cook University.
Leanne started her current position as Infection Control Coordinator for South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS) in 2017 and had a little break while seconded to SA Health Communicable Disease Control Branch supporting South Australia's COVID-19 pandemic response.
Leanne is passionate about finding solutions to infection control challenges in alternate settings like ambulance.
Abstract:
South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS) is undertaking accreditation against the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards for the third time this year. Previous assessments provided recommendations regarding aseptic technique.
Aseptic technique in the out-of-hospital emergency setting, with a dispersed workforce working in small groups state-wide is challenging and differs to other health service.
In 2018 SAAS Extended Care Paramedics and MedSTAR retrieval clinicians undertook SA Health Aseptic Technique e-leaning and competency assessment. This was sufficient to demonstrate a process to educate and competency assess clinicians but did not meet SAAS clinicians needs and, the recommendation to include the entire workforce undertaking aseptic procedures remained.
Peripherally inserted venous catheters (PIVC) are used regularly and pose a risk of bloodstream and superficial infection to patients. SAAS Infection Control Workgroup decided that education and competency assessment for aseptic technique in relation to PIVC should be the focus of SAAS.
Education and competency assessment for Ambulance clinicians takes place via mandatory training and professional development workshops (PDW’s) which occur annually as part of a clinicians authority to practice. Inclusion of topics in PDW’s is highly competitive and the final decision rests with Learning and Development (L&D) Committee.
The plan for aseptic technique which included a bespoke e-learning module contextualised for the ambulance setting, competency assessment and a train the trainer model was successfully presented to L&D committee in January 2024 and is now included in 2024 PDW’s.
All clinicians inserting PIVC’s are being educated and competency assessed for aseptic technique this year.