PICNet posts the Webber Teleclass schedule 1-2 months ahead; if you’d like to see the full year’s schedule, you can view it on the Webber Training website.
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The emergence of zoonoses: downstream impacts on human health and long-term care
Date: August 10th, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Prof. Jason Stull, The Ohio State University
Objectives:
– Recall the recognized drivers for the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases
– Examine previous and likely future examples (and healthcare impacts) of emerging zoonoses, notably those linked to companion animals
– Identify approaches, both local and global, to mitigate and prevent emerging zoonoses -
Understanding the “immunity debt” to common infections during the covid-19 pandemic
Date: August 16th, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Prov. Matthias Maiwald, National University of Singapore
Objectives:
– Discuss the apparent disappearance of many pathogens during pandemic restrictions, and their reappearance
– Discuss the unprecedented “human experiment” that create a worldwide immunity deficit
– Innumerate precautions and preventative measures -
Factors influencing opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens
Date: September 21st, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Prof. Joseph O. Falkinham III, Virginia Tech University
Objectives:
– Explain the extent of waterborne pathogens in plumbing systems
– Discuss the effects of factors including materials, dead ends, stagnation, temperature, recirculation, disinfection, and other microorganisms -
Mental health, healthy lifestyle behaviors and organizational wellness support during the covid-19 pandemic in infection prevention professionals: implications for action
Date: September 28th, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, The Ohio University
Objectives:
– Describe the mental health and healthy lifestyle behaviors of Infection Professionals During the COVID-19 pandemic
– Describe how shift length and perceived workplace wellness support impacted the mental health and lifestyle behaviors of IPs
– Describe tactics for action. -
Management practices to support infection prevention
Date: October 12th, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Ann Scheck McAlearney, Ohio State University College of Medicine
Objectives:
– Gain an understanding of management practices and how they can be used to help prevent healthcare associated infections
– Describe how different method of sharing infection data can help inform and engage staff and leaders
– Learn how to use a web-based toolkit to support infection prevention efforts -
Special lecture for clean hospitals day
Date: October 20th, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Prof. Didier Pittet, University of Geneva, Faculty of Medicine
Objectives:
– Discuss how the Five Elements in Healthcare Environmental Hygiene can be applied in any facility
– Discuss the work that has been accomplished in the last 12 months
– Forecast the efforts that have yet to take place and the impact that those efforts can have with regard to healthcare-associated infection. -
Pulling the plug on the sink drain
Date: October 26th, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Prof. Jean-Yves Maillard, Cardiff University
Objectives:
– Evaluate the link between sink drains and hospital-acquired infection
– Discuss the extent to which sink drains are used in healthcare settings
– Discuss the microbial biofilm in the sink drain and its resistance to disinfectants and to antimicrobials
– Understand the effect of disinfectants on complex biofilms -
Quaternary ammonium-based disinfectants: advantages, disadvantages, and safety concerns
Date: November 16th, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Dr. John M. Boyce, J.M. Boyce Consulting
Objectives:
– Recognize which pathogens are susceptible to quaternary ammonium (Quat) disinfectants
– Explain factors that can adversely affect the effectiveness of Quat-based disinfectants
– Describe safety concerns related to the use of Quat disinfectants -
Hospital wastewater systems: origins of novel nosocomial bacteria
Date: December 7th, 2023
Time: 10:30 am PST
Speaker: Professor Colum Dunne, School of Medicine, University of Limerick, Ireland
Objectives:
Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is a challenge globally, often associated with incidence of infectious agents exhibiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Internationally, there are numerous publications describing outbreaks of nosocomial infections, typically providing characterisation of recognised microorganisms, their antimicrobial susceptibilities and details of infection prevention and control (IPC) interventions. Environmental patient-facing wastewater (WW) apparatus such as handwashing sinks, showers and toilets are identified frequently as the sources of these infectious agents and associated AMR genes (ARGs). We have undertaken a large-scale metagenomic analysis of the WW system in a large teaching hospital in the Republic of Ireland that has experienced ongoing multidrug-resistant HAI outbreaks. Diverse taxonomic and resistome profiles were observed across all pipe sections studied, with members of phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria dominating. The highest numbers of ARGs observed were those encoding resistance to tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, diaminopyrimidines, β-lactams, and macrolides, all of which are significant clinically and are commonly used antibiotic classes. These unique large-scale analyses reinforce the need for regular decontamination of patient-facing hospital WW pipes and effective infection control policies to prevent the transmission of nosocomial infection and emergence of AMR within potential WW reservoirs.