IP develops tool sharing web site
IP develops tool sharing web site
To keep IPs from 'constantly reinventing the wheel'
In an age when it's hard to keep track of the latest cell phone features, sharing infection prevention tools on the web would appear to be an idea whose time has long since come. But the evolving concept is not without controversy because the tools and algorithms may not always meet the rigor of "evidenced-based" peer-reviewed science.
"There are people in our field who say we only put something in writing when we have the evidence," says Ruth Carrico, PhD, RN, CIC, assistant professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Louisville (KY). "Then there are others who say, 'I live and practice in this world every day and I have to make decisions.'"
You can guess which camp Carrico's in. With an extensive background in infection prevention, she knows all too well the labors of wheel reinvention that are ongoing for thousands of IPs. So she created a web site where IPs can post and share tools, enjoying the benefits of each other's labor: www.infectionpreventiontools.com
"The concept evolved from the many requests that I have been getting that demonstrate the need to have an electronic 'parking lot' where tools and resources can be kept so infection preventionists can see what others have developed," Carrico tells Hospital Infection Control & Prevention.
The process involves many of the elements of social networking that recognize that a collective intelligence is greater than that of any single person. The corollary to shared solutions is shared problems. "Somebody once told me there is no such thing as a leak on your side of the canoe," she says. "There is obviously a need for this because there are more people downloading information than uploading."
The web site allows anyone the opportunity to upload any document (Word, Excel, Access, Visio, PowerPoint, PDF, etc.) and make it available to others. "Our current sharing usually involves one IP asking for help and another IP responding," Carrico says. "This web site facilitates a one-too-many sharing. This [addresses] the whole idea of how we share information more effectively, but also how to we share it in a manner that allows this collective intelligence approach."
No effort is made to identify users; they select their own user name and password as a means of setting up an electronic gate that minimizes the ability for unacceptable content to be discretely posted. There is also no fee for any of the sharing. There are "rules for sharing" posted on the site in hopes that nothing that has a copyright is shared and nothing that has objectionable content (e.g., pictures of patients) is posted, she notes.
"The results have been pretty amazing," Carrico says. "There are over 1,100 users and more than 2 gigabytes of information has been shared so far. The average user spends almost five minutes on the site."
The gray area between evidence, practice
But back to the controversial aspect of this process, and more to the point, the evidence — or lack thereof — for the various tools shared. Carrico offers, by way of example, an air-sampling algorithm she developed with colleagues that can be used to assess airborne infection risks during construction and renovation projects. (See chart.)
"This is an area where we have no standards, but many people do air sampling," she says. "Well, what do we do with that? How do we make decisions about when to sample? Again, it is not an evidence-based document, but it's a starting point for us to look at and figure out how we deal with this. I've gotten quite a few calls back about that, both from infection preventionists, engineering departments, and industry. It sparks an interest in collaboration that we have to have in our ever-changing field."
IPs must work at times in the gray area between evidence and practice, so such tools provide a starting point that others can amend accordingly to their own institution. Indeed, a second generation of a tool may be uploaded to the site as other IPs adapt it to their particular setting. "This really demonstrates the need to have such tools and resources readily available in an electronic format that can meet individual user needs," she says. "It has been great fun to develop, and I am thrilled with the acceptance and success. Social networking is just basically the idea that better things emerge from people in a like community working together."
Some form of user rating system may be in the works, so that the most popular, proven tools can be given emphasis. Beyond that, the goal is ancient and new every day: "Keep the infection preventionist from constantly reinventing the wheel."
In an age when it's hard to keep track of the latest cell phone features, sharing infection prevention tools on the web would appear to be an idea whose time has long since come.Subscribe Now for Access
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