SKMC marks the International Infection Prevention Week from 9 - 15 November 2008

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About Infection Control Department at SKMC
The Infection Control Department operates a 24hr service and have recently been included on the Emergency Plan Command System at SKMC for codes that need our input or service. The department is currently staffed by 1 Practitioner, 1 supervisor, 2 officers and data entry clerk.
SKMC thrives to spread the infection prevention word regionally and have since applied for a Chapter with APIC and the response has been overwhelming. This will help to bridge the gaps in Infection Control regionally.

Goals and achievements of Infection Control Department at SKMC Infection Control department at SKMC has been going through different milestones in its growth.

The following have been the department's goals
for 2008:

1. Limiting unprotected exposure to pathogens throughout the facility to staff, patients and visitors. In January, SKMC had a total of 12 isolation rooms. To date, 26 more isolation rooms have been built hospital wide bringing the total to 38.

2. Enhancing Hand Hygiene Compliance: the need to include all the consumers in the Hand Hygiene Compliance Program was indentified. Therefore, SKMC has installed 52 Hand Gel Dispensers to public areas including the cafeteria. Educational materials were posted to waiting areas. Videos were supplied to visitor's areas in different dialogues. Monthly audits on Hand Hygiene are done departmental and this week will focus on this topic.

3. Minimizing the risk of transmitting infections associated with the use of procedures, medical equipment and medical devices: All Healthcare Associated Infections are tracked hospital wide. CSSD training was incorporated with SKMC General Orientation and Mandatory Training. One of the achievements was the Infection Control Link Training. About 100 staff members were trained to be link nurses at SKMC, hospital wide and PHCs. They work as an extended arm of Infection Control Department, in implementing procedures, monitoring, improving and evaluating as well as feeding back to our department.

4. Because Infection Control s Everyone's Business, a Train the Trainer program was launched at SKMC during the month of March 2008. All the General Services subcontracted employees who serve SKMC were trained in Infection Control measures. This includes Ambulance Drivers, construction workers, food handlers, porters and cleaners. One of the recent achievements is the involvement of 4 Infection Committee members in doing Presentation at the recent Abu Dhabi Medical Congress which was held from 26 - 28 October 2008.

About SKMC
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, operates under the management of Cleveland Clinic, named among the top hospitals in the USA by U.S. News and World Report. SKMC is owned by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, recently established to oversee operations of all public hospitals in the Emirate.

SKMC is the flagship institution for the public health system in Abu Dhabi and has several 'Centers of Excellence,' and aspires to practice contemporary medicine comparable to the best hospitals and medical centers in the world. SKMC provides comprehensive health care services in all of the disciplines relevant to the needs and priorities of the community to attain the highest levels of patient satisfaction.

SKMC consists of a 550-bed Acute Care Hospital and 14 specialized outpatient clinics accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI). In addition, SKMC manages a 120-bed Behavior Sciences Pavilion, a 90-bed Rehabilitation Center, 9 primary healthcare centers and 2 dental centers distributed over the city of Abu Dhabi.