Client Care: Infection Control and Communicable Diseases

PIC will facilitate a Client Care Committee.

The committee will consist of at least one member of each of the following disciplines:

• Physical Therapist or Occupational Therapist
• Speech Language Pathology
• Developmental Specialist or Social Work

1. The committee will review current client care practices at least annually.  The committee will be responsible for making recommendations to revise current practices or include new client care practices.
2. Recommendations will be made to the Executive Director or designee.
3. The Executive Director or designee will update the practices as deemed necessary.
4. PIC Board of Directors will be informed of the reviews and/or revisions.
5. Client care practices will be distributed for all staff and available at any time for review from outside agencies.

Definition: Infectious Disease:

An infectious disease is an illness caused by a specific infectious agent or its toxic products, which can be passed on from one individual to another.  It may be transmitted directly from one body to another, without the help of other objects such as kissing, sexual contact, droplet spray from sneezing, coughing, spitting, singing or talking.  It may be passed through other bodily fluids: urine, sweat, feces, blood and tears. It may be passed indirectly when an object transmits the organism.  Objects of transmission could be toys, utensils, food, water, milk, clothing, linens, air, soil or insects.  Diseases include, but are not limited to: 

1.  
   • Bedbugs
   • Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
   • Chicken Pox/Shingles
   • Conjunctivitis
   • Corona viruses (ie Covid, MERS, SARS)
   • Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease
   • Hepatitis (A,B,C)
   • HIV/Aids
   • Influenza (the flu)
   • Lice  
   • Malaria
   • Measles
   • Methicillin-resistant Staphlococcus aureus (MRSA)
   • Mumps
   • Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
   • Ringworm
   • RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus)
   • Rubella
   • Scabies
   • Scarlet Fever
   • Strep Throat
   • Tuberculosis
2. Reportable (Incident Report Required) 
   An incident report is required when any of the following occur:
   1. A confirmed or suspected infectious illness occurs during or following service delivery, where there is a reasonable possibility of occupational exposure;
   2. A high-risk exposure, defined as close or prolonged contact with a known or suspected contagious individual without recommended precautions (ie, confirming visits with a wellness check, handwashing) ;
   3. The situation results in work exclusion, contact notification, or consultation with public health authorities;

   4. There are multiple related cases suggesting a possible outbreak or pattern of transmission.

      Note: Direct contact with clients, household members, or environments is an expected part of service delivery. A reasonable possibility of occupational exposure exists when that contact could allow transmission of an infectious agent, despite standard precautions.

3. Not Reportable (No Incident Report Required) 
   An incident report is not required for:
   1. Routine, low-risk exposure during service delivery when standard precautions were used;
   2. Awareness that a client or household member has a common communicable illness without high-risk exposure
   3. Community or household exposure unrelated to service delivery;
   4. Situations where the employee remains asymptomatic and no work restrictions are recommended.
   5. Employees are encouraged to notify their supervisor with questions or concerns so appropriate guidance can be provided.
4. Employees are expected to treat all bodily fluids and materials as if they are infectious and in accordance with Universal Precautions and Blood Borne Pathogens practices.
5. Employees who become aware of an infectious/communicable disease contracted by a client are expected to:
   1. follow procedures for sanitizing equipment and utilize Universal Precautions;
   2. notify their supervisor when there is a known or suspected exposure that may pose a risk of transmission;
   3. complete an incident report when the exposure or illness meets reportable criteria as defined by agency practice.
6. Upon becoming aware of exposure to an infectious/communicable disease, the employee is expected to:
   1. follow all medical advice from the appropriate health authority;
   2. consult personal physician as deemed necessary;
   3. comply with work exclusion recommendations;
   4. inform supervisor of the infectious/communicable disease.
7. Upon knowledge of exposure: :
   1. The supervisor will advise employees as deemed necessary, review measures for preventing further contamination, and seek information from outside resources, including but not exclusive to:
      • Center for Disease Control
      • Alaska State Office of Epidemiology
      • Alaska State Office of Public Health
   2. The supervisor will remind employees about the infectious/communicable disease policy including a review of the policy and the location of the written policy.
   3. The supervisor will provide clients, families, and other individuals who have been exposed to infectious/contagious diseases with basic information and refer to a physician, or Public Health.        
   4. The supervisor will be respectful of the privacy of the employee and others in accordance with HIPAA.
8. Incident reports will be submitted to the immediate supervisor. Incidents reports will be reviewed, addressed as needed, and submitted to the Office Manager for review and further action taken, if needed.