Emergency Department IPC

Introduction

Emergency Department Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) focuses on minimizing infection risks in high-pressure, high-turnover emergency care settings. Emergency departments (EDs) face unique challenges due to constant patient flow, undifferentiated cases, critical interventions, and frequent exposure to blood, body fluids, and infectious patients. Effective IPC practices in EDs are essential to protect patients, healthcare workers, and the broader community.

This course emphasizes evidence-based strategies for infection prevention, safe patient triage, environmental hygiene, and staff protection. It equips emergency care teams with the knowledge and practical approaches required to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) while maintaining rapid, life-saving care.

Scope

This program covers infection prevention and control practices specific to emergency departments, including:

Infection risks associated with emergency care and triage
Standard and transmission-based precautions in ED settings
Hand hygiene, personal protective equipment (PPE), and safe patient handling
Environmental cleaning, disinfection, and high-touch surface management
Safe management of sharps, waste, and body fluids
Isolation practices and cohorting of suspected infectious patients
Infection control during emergency procedures, resuscitation, and airway management
Surveillance, reporting, and monitoring of ED-acquired infections
Staff safety, exposure management, and occupational health considerations
Compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards for ED IPC

Objectives

By the end of the program, learners will be able to:

Understand infection risks unique to emergency departments
Apply IPC measures integrated into rapid patient care workflows
Prevent cross-infection between patients and healthcare workers
Maintain a clean, safe, and compliant emergency care environment
Protect staff and patients during invasive and high-risk procedures
Conduct surveillance and reporting of ED-acquired infections
Ensure adherence to emergency department IPC protocols and standards
Support continuous quality improvement in emergency care infection prevention

Who Can Enroll

This program is suitable for:

Emergency department nurses and supervisors
Emergency physicians and residents
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) nurses and officers
ED support staff including technicians and patient care assistants
Quality and patient safety teams
Healthcare professionals involved in rapid triage and emergency care

Study Content from TERRALEAP.COM

Learners receive structured study support through TERRALEAP.COM, including:

Expert-led videos on IPC practices in emergency care settings
Scenario-based learning covering triage, resuscitation, and rapid interventions
Guided explanations of patient safety, staff protection, and environmental hygiene
Learning resources designed to reinforce safe, consistent emergency department IPC practices