Standard precautions, which include appropriate personal barriers, hand hygiene, disinfecting surfaces, sterilizing instruments, and disposing of infectious waste, apply to the care of all patients regardless of their diagnosis and are crucial in preventing the spread of disease in an audiology clinic.

To effectively prevent the spread of disease, it is important for audiology clinics to have a written infection control plan in place. This plan should include protocols for mode and route of transmission, as well as guidelines for personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, and cleaning and disinfecting of equipment and surfaces.

Implementing and adhering to a written infection control plan is crucial in protecting both patients and healthcare workers from the spread of infectious diseases in an audiology setting.

There are six required sections of the infection control plan. Your written infection control plan does not have to necessarily be in this exact order, but it must include these six required portions. 

1. Employee exposure classification
2. Hepatitis B (HBV) vaccination plan
3. Plan for annual training and records
4. Plan for accidents and accidental exposure follow‑up
5. Implementation protocols
6. Post‑exposure plans and records

infection control is a required element of for any clinical location where audiology services are provided.  You need to create a written infection control plan with work practice controls that are unique to your clinic, and keep in mind, every location within a practice must have their own plan.  Use standard precautions as your guide and integrate appropriate products to ensure that you are meeting the goals of the infection control plan.  Implement the plan, and rely on resources to guide you. 

For further information, refer to Dr. Bankaitis’ blog, www.aubankaitis.com, where you can find a section on infection control.  The book, Infection Control in the Audiology Clinic, is available via Oaktree Products. Please feel free to email her at au@oaktreeproducts.com 

Thursday, January 19, 2023 | 12:00 PM EST

An annual Infection Control Plan for audiology is a document that outlines the measures that an audiology clinic, multi-specialty medical practice and hospital & academic facilities will take to prevent the spread of infections among patients and staff. This plan should be reviewed and updated regularly, at least annually, to ensure that it reflects the current guidelines and best practices for infection control in the field of audiology. This course will focus on how to identify and create work practice controls requirements of the writing infection control plan.

Speaker: A.U. Bankaitis, PhD

Dr. A.U. Bankaitis is the leading expert on infection control in the hearing industry. She earned her PhD from the University of Cincinnati in 1995 where her research publications on HIV and the auditory system led to a niche expertise in infection control. Since joining Oaktree Products as Vice President in 2004, she is a recognized resource to the hearing industry. Her extensive clinical and business experiences allow her to provide straightforward, practical solutions to providers and business owners. If you have had questions about infection control, you probably have reached out to or been referred to Dr. Bankaitis.

Participants will be able to:

1. Explain the role of work practice controls within the audiology ancillary
2. Describe the process of identifying necessary work practice controls to integrate within the writing infection control plan
3. Create a work practice control for audiology

1-hour AMA Category 1 Credit (LIVE session only)
1-hour Audiology CEU (AAA) (LIVE session only)